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: mug · wound · court · arm · snap · bat · kid · race

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to click
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. wound — an injury
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. mug — to rob
  12. bat — the animal
  13. court — for sport
  14. wound — an injury
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. mug — a face
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — a contest
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — of law
  22. mug — a cup
  23. kid — to tease
  24. race — humankind

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