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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. drill — a practice
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. capital — money
  5. drill — the tool
  6. chest — of your body
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. capital — a city
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. chest — a box
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bat — the animal
  18. season — in sport
  19. drill — army training
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mouse — the animal

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