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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. swing — in golf
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. chest — of your body
  6. scale — size or range
  7. chest — a box
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. kid — child
  10. chest — of your body
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. scale — in music
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. swing — to play on
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. swing — music
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. land — ground
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — a country
  24. temple — side of the head

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