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

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. chest — a box
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. court — for sport
  8. cold — an illness
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rock — music
  11. court — of law
  12. cell — in biology
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. cold — not warm
  15. hand — in cards
  16. court — of a king
  17. cell — a phone
  18. fall — the season
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. chest — of your body
  23. hand — help
  24. fall — to drop

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