ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. cell — a phone
  4. staff — employees
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — a weight
  8. staff — a stick
  9. saw — the tool
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. staff — employees
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — in biology
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. chest — a box
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wax — to grow
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. arm — a part of something

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com