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: land · arm · jam · pop · row · patient · drill · toast

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  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. patient — calm and waiting
  3. land — to come down
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. pop — soda
  6. land — ground
  7. toast — bread
  8. land — a country
  9. drill — the tool
  10. row — a line
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. row — to paddle
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. pop — music
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. drill — army training
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. pop — to visit
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. drill — a practice
  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