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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. mine — for digging
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. rest — a break
  5. mate — a friend
  6. season — in sport
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mate — a partner
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cue — for pool
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — to handle
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — of the year
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. fall — the season
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. fall — to drop
  22. mate — to breed
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cue — a hint

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