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: ground · row · racket · prune · arm · kid · wound · mate

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mate — a partner
  4. ground — the earth
  5. mate — a friend
  6. ground — crushed
  7. prune — to trim
  8. kid — child
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. ground — a position
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. mate — to breed
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. wound — an injury
  23. kid — to tease
  24. wound — an injury

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