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: board · game · wake · chest · drill · mouse · arm · cell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cell — in biology
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. chest — of your body
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. board — a committee
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. drill — army training
  17. wake — a trail
  18. game — a match
  19. board — to get on
  20. cell — a phone
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. chest — a box

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