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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. 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. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. race — a contest
  4. content — happy
  5. stock — shares
  6. race — humankind
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. content — the amount
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. can — a tin
  11. stock — goods
  12. kid — child
  13. chest — of your body
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. race — the arms race
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. 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