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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. rest — what's left
  3. net — after costs
  4. cold — an illness
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cold — not warm
  8. race — the arms race
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cue — a hint
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — for money
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — a contest
  20. bank — of a river
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. rest — a break
  24. cue — for pool

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