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 120 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. suit — clothes
  7. branch — a division
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. content — the amount
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. suit — to fit
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. mine — for digging
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. chair — a leader
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. suit — in cards
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. chair — to sit on

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