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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. pit — a hole
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. capital — money
  5. object — an aim
  6. deal — to handle
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. kid — to tease
  10. object — a thing
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. capital — a city
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. kid — child
  20. pit — in a race
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. date — the fruit
  23. snap — to click
  24. deal — an agreement

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