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 120 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: stem · arm · race · chair · swing · hand · suit · stock

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. suit — in cards
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. swing — music
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. stock — goods
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. race — a contest
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. swing — to play on
  14. chair — a leader
  15. race — the arms race
  16. suit — clothes
  17. race — humankind
  18. stock — shares
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — to come from
  21. suit — to fit
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. swing — in golf

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