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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bore — to tire
  3. row — a line
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — final
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. ground — the earth
  12. chest — a box
  13. bore — to drill
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. squash — to crush
  16. ground — a position
  17. fork — in a road
  18. last — finally
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. chair — a leader
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. squash — the sport
  23. ground — crushed
  24. chest — of your body

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