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: temple · arm · branch · roll · foot · stock · chest · ground

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a list
  9. ground — the earth
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. stock — goods
  14. foot — a measure
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. roll — a cake
  17. ground — a position
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. stock — shares
  22. branch — a division
  23. ground — crushed
  24. arm — part of the body

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