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 120 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  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. ground — crushed
  2. ground — the earth
  3. chest — of your body
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. rest — a break
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. ground — a position
  11. bank — of a river
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. rest — what's left
  14. chest — a box
  15. bank — for money
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a match
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bank — for money
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. rest — what's left
  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