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: arm · bass · toast · trunk · bat · bound · ground · kick

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bound — certain
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bass — low music
  7. kick — in football
  8. ground — the earth
  9. toast — bread
  10. bass — the fish
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. ground — a position
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bound — obliged
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bass — the instrument

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