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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bass — low music
  3. dip — to sink
  4. branch — a division
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. track — a song
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — in music
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bass — the fish
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. track — a path
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. scale — size or range

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