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: cap · leaves · staff · chest · fork · hide · cold · arm

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. chest — of your body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. chest — a box
  7. staff — employees
  8. fork — in a road
  9. chest — of your body
  10. staff — employees
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cold — an illness
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cap — of ice
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. cap — a lid
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. staff — a stick

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