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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. cell — in biology
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bear — the animal
  5. plane — a tool
  6. suit — to fit
  7. cell — a phone
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cold — an illness
  11. chest — of your body
  12. suit — in cards
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chest — a box
  20. pit — in a race
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. pit — a hole
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cell — in a prison

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