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: staff · squash · face · arm · pop · roll · hide · cold

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. pop — music
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. staff — employees
  8. face — to confront
  9. cold — an illness
  10. squash — to crush
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. cold — not warm
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. pop — to visit
  17. roll — a list
  18. face — to point toward
  19. roll — a cake
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. staff — employees
  22. pop — soda
  23. squash — the sport
  24. face — part of the head

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