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: arm · chest · rash · calf · root · coach · spring · bound

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bound — tied together
  4. root — of a word
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rash — hasty
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bound — obliged
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. spring — the season
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bound — certain
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. chest — a box
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a plant
  22. rash — a series
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. coach — a trainer

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