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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. vault — a safe
  4. perch — the fish
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. chest — a box
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. chair — a leader
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. rash — a series
  11. saw — the tool
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bat — the animal
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rash — hasty
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. saw — the tool
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bat — in an idiom

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