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: kid · pound · rash · net · mine · straw · arm · mark

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mark — a grade
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. net — in sport
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — child
  10. mine — for digging
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. pound — a weight
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — for catching
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — a series
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. mark — a trace

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