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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. hand — in cards
  4. press — to push
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. hand — help
  7. present — there
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. present — the time now
  11. wound — an injury
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. press — a publisher
  14. cap — a hat
  15. land — ground
  16. cap — a lid
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. land — a country
  19. land — to come down
  20. cap — of ice
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. present — a gift
  23. press — newspapers
  24. wound — an injury

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