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 · rule · cold · mine · file · suit · sharp · bay

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. cold — an illness
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — for digging
  7. file — a tool
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. suit — to fit
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. rule — government
  13. cold — not warm
  14. file — a line of people
  15. suit — in cards
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. suit — clothes
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. rule — a law
  20. sharp — clever
  21. file — a document
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. cold — the Cold War

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