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: arm · cold · jam · mine · season · land · cue · mark

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. land — a country
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mark — a trace
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. land — ground
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. cue — a hint
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. mine — for digging
  14. season — in sport
  15. cue — for pool
  16. land — to come down
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cold — an illness
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. cue — a signal
  23. season — of the year
  24. cold — not warm

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