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: mouse · lash · rule · chest · game · hand · arm · straw

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. game — wild animals
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. chest — a box
  9. game — a match
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. rule — a law
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. chest — of your body
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. rule — government

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