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: scale · patient · arm · kid · stand · hand · clip · saw

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — child
  3. clip — to cut
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. scale — size or range
  7. saw — the tool
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. clip — a video
  13. hand — in cards
  14. clip — for paper
  15. stand — to bear
  16. saw — the tool
  17. hand — help
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. kid — to tease
  20. scale — in music
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. arm — a part of something

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