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: object · tear · sharp · arm · chest · march · toast · band

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — to protest
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. tear — to rip
  6. march — the month
  7. chest — of your body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. tear — from crying
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. sharp — clever
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. band — a music group
  19. march — music
  20. toast — bread
  21. band — a ring
  22. object — a thing
  23. tear — from crying
  24. march — the month

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