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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. craft — boats
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — in cards
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. craft — a skill
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. game — wild animals
  12. lie — to recline
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. ground — crushed
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. ground — the earth
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. game — a match
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. ground — a position
  24. ball — a great time

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