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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. present — the time now
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — to crush
  7. file — a line of people
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. present — there
  12. file — a document
  13. present — a gift
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. chest — a box
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. file — a tool
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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