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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. current — of water
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. current — electric
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — the fish
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. current — happening now
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. prune — to trim
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. deal — to handle
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bass — low music
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. prune — to trim

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