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: cold · cabinet · press · row · jam · prune · arm · roll

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — a line
  5. row — to paddle
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. roll — a cake
  14. roll — a list
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cold — an illness
  17. press — newspapers
  18. cold — not warm
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. press — a publisher
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. press — to push

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