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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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. shower — to wash
  5. file — a document
  6. snap — to click
  7. current — of water
  8. current — electric
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. rash — a series
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. hand — help
  13. file — a line of people
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. file — a tool
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. current — happening now
  20. rash — hasty
  21. dip — to sink
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. shower — rain
  24. rash — on the skin

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