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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  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. suit — clothes
  2. chest — of your body
  3. suit — to fit
  4. field — for sport
  5. clip — for paper
  6. field — a subject
  7. chest — a box
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. clip — a video
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — in biology
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. degree — temperature
  15. suit — in cards
  16. clip — to cut
  17. degree — an amount
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. degree — from a university
  20. cell — a phone
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. field — farmland
  23. fan — to cool the air
  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