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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. cap — a lid
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. mark — a trace
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cap — a hat
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. cold — not warm
  12. content — the amount
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cap — of ice
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. content — happy
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — to come from
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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