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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. track — a path
  5. track — a song
  6. degree — from a university
  7. track — to keep track
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — a measure
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — to cut
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. degree — an amount
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. degree — temperature
  24. date — the fruit

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