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: fine · craft · arm · row · race · hand · stem · drill

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. fine — all right
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. hand — help
  5. drill — a practice
  6. row — a line
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. stem — to come from
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. row — to paddle
  12. craft — a skill
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. fine — high quality
  17. race — humankind
  18. drill — army training
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — the arms race
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. craft — boats
  24. drill — the tool

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