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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. prune — to trim
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. prune — to trim
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — to tease
  9. field — farmland
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. field — for sport
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. rest — what's left
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. object — a thing
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. field — a subject
  21. object — an aim
  22. rest — what's left
  23. object — to protest
  24. rest — a break

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