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: pitcher · sharp · toast · cell · stem · press · arm · rash

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. press — to push
  5. rash — hasty
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. sharp — clever
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cell — a phone
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. press — a publisher
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. toast — bread
  23. press — newspapers
  24. arm — a part of something

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