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 120 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 · hand · deal · march · tube · net · cabinet · chip

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. deal — to handle
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. tube — the underground
  5. march — the month
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. hand — help
  11. march — the month
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. hand — in cards
  14. chip — to eat
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. net — in sport
  17. tube — a container
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. chip — for betting
  20. net — after costs
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. net — for catching
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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