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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  3. scale — size or range
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mate — a partner
  6. hand — help
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. can — a tin
  12. mate — a friend
  13. scale — in music
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. mate — to breed
  16. can — to be able to
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. capital — a city
  19. wax — to grow
  20. can — a tin
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. hand — in cards
  23. capital — money
  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