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 · swing · mouse · chair · date · mark · shower · arm

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — music
  5. date — the fruit
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. mark — a trace
  15. cold — an illness
  16. chair — a leader
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. swing — to play on
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. cold — not warm
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. shower — to wash

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