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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. squash — to crush
  3. board — a committee
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. squash — the sport
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. board — to get on
  10. degree — temperature
  11. wound — an injury
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. bank — for money
  19. degree — from a university
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. mine — for digging
  23. degree — an amount
  24. wound — an injury

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