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 124 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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. net — for catching
  3. file — a tool
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. roll — a cake
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. net — in sport
  9. bear — the animal
  10. stem — to come from
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. net — after costs
  13. swing — to play on
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. file — a line of people
  16. roll — a list
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bear — the animal
  21. swing — in golf
  22. file — a document
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. swing — music

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