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 · fall · prune · chest · stand · object · cold · cap

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  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. object — a thing
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — a box
  5. cap — a hat
  6. object — to protest
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. fall — the season
  9. cap — a lid
  10. fall — to drop
  11. chest — of your body
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — to bear
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fall — to drop
  17. object — an aim
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. prune — to trim
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cap — of ice
  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