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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: jam · board · stem · cold · swing · chip · bark · arm

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. board — a committee
  7. chip — for betting
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. cold — not warm
  12. board — to get on
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. cold — an illness
  18. chip — to eat
  19. stem — to come from
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bark — to shout
  23. swing — music
  24. stem — of a plant

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