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: board · kid · ground · craft · arm · wound · chest · mine

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. board — to get on
  3. kid — to tease
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. craft — boats
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mine — for digging
  8. ground — a position
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. kid — child
  13. board — a committee
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. ground — crushed
  18. wound — an injury
  19. craft — a skill
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. ground — the earth

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