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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bat — the animal
  3. capital — a city
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. key — in music
  7. snap — to click
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. fall — the season
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. key — for a lock
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. fall — to drop
  17. capital — money
  18. key — the most important part
  19. branch — a division
  20. fall — to drop
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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