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: cell · hand · arm · straw · kid · squash · fine · stand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. squash — the sport
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. stand — to bear
  8. fine — all right
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. kid — child
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. fine — high quality
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. cell — in biology
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. squash — to crush
  19. hand — in cards
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. cell — a phone
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. kid — to tease

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