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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. field — for sport
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. present — the time now
  6. net — in sport
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. chest — a box
  10. stock — goods
  11. chest — of your body
  12. net — after costs
  13. present — a gift
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. net — for catching
  16. present — there
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. stock — shares
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — farmland

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