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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. deal — to handle
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. fall — the season
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. net — after costs
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. degree — from a university
  11. shower — rain
  12. net — for catching
  13. shower — to wash
  14. march — the month
  15. fall — to drop
  16. degree — an amount
  17. net — in sport
  18. march — the month
  19. fall — to drop
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — for betting
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. degree — temperature
  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