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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. chip — to eat
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. bark — to shout
  7. cold — not warm
  8. fall — to drop
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. chip — for betting
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. roll — a list
  16. fall — the season
  17. roll — a cake
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. cold — an illness
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. ruler — for measuring

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