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 120 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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bark — to shout
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. field — for sport
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. lean — thin
  10. lean — to bend
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. lie — to recline
  13. field — farmland
  14. row — a line
  15. hand — help
  16. row — to paddle
  17. hand — in cards
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. chest — of your body
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. chest — a box
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. field — a subject

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