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 was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cold — not warm
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. file — a line of people
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. file — a document
  9. staff — employees
  10. key — for a lock
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. file — a tool
  13. cold — an illness
  14. key — in music
  15. chip — for betting
  16. key — the most important part
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. staff — employees
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. staff — a stick

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