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: dip · arm · pound · land · bat · key · clip · season

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. clip — to cut
  5. land — to come down
  6. pound — a weight
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — the animal
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. key — in music
  12. key — the most important part
  13. season — of the year
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. land — a country
  16. clip — for paper
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. land — ground
  20. dip — to sink
  21. clip — a video
  22. key — for a lock
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. arm — part of the body

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