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: nail · pound · bulb · chest · degree · arm · toast · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. degree — from a university
  4. cell — in biology
  5. degree — an amount
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. bulb — for light
  10. degree — temperature
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. toast — bread
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. pound — a weight
  20. chest — a box
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bulb — for light
  24. chest — of your body

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