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 120 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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. land — a country
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. race — the arms race
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. race — a contest
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. land — ground
  12. chip — to eat
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. rash — hasty
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. land — to come down
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. race — humankind
  21. chip — for betting
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. rash — a series

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