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: land · pit · scale · row · tear · kid · arm · wave

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. kid — to tease
  3. row — a line
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — in music
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. pit — in a race
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. scale — size or range
  15. land — ground
  16. land — a country
  17. row — to paddle
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pit — a hole
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. kid — child
  24. land — to come down

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