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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pit — a hole
  3. chip — to eat
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. chest — a box
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. kick — in football
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — for betting
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. pit — in a race
  23. wax — to grow
  24. tear — to rip

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