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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. swing — to play on
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bound — tied together
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bound — certain
  11. net — for catching
  12. swing — in golf
  13. hand — help
  14. band — a ring
  15. swing — music
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. hand — in cards
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. kick — in football
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. net — after costs
  23. bound — obliged
  24. net — in sport

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