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: dip · last · pitcher · arm · band · hand · chest · season

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. hand — help
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. season — of the year
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. hand — in cards
  10. band — a music group
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. last — final
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. dip — to sink
  18. band — a ring
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. last — to go on
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. last — finally

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