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 · mark · field · bass · drill · chest · rash · craft

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bass — the fish
  3. craft — boats
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. field — for sport
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. field — a subject
  10. chest — a box
  11. rash — a series
  12. drill — army training
  13. field — farmland
  14. mark — a grade
  15. craft — a skill
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — the tool
  21. chest — of your body
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bass — low music
  24. rash — hasty

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