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: safe · arm · rash · ball · lash · cell · chair · cold

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. cell — a phone
  5. ball — a dance
  6. cold — an illness
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. chair — a leader
  13. rash — hasty
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. rash — a series
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cold — not warm
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. ball — a great time
  24. cell — in a prison

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