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: bat · mate · arm · board · pitcher · temple · wound · wax

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wound — an injury
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mate — a partner
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. mate — to breed
  10. wax — to grow
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. board — a committee
  16. bat — the animal
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. wound — an injury
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. mate — a friend
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. board — to get on
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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