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's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. mine — for digging
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. capital — money
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. firm — steady
  8. content — happy
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mark — a trace
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. content — the amount
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. track — a song
  15. mark — a grade
  16. track — to keep track
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. track — a path
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. capital — a city
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. firm — decided
  23. firm — a company
  24. mark — to pay attention

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