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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. season — of the year
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. ground — a position
  9. wake — a trail
  10. roll — a cake
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. kid — to tease
  13. ground — the earth
  14. roll — a list
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. ground — crushed
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. stock — shares
  19. toast — bread
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. season — in sport
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — goods
  24. kid — child

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