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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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. foot — a measure
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cold — an illness
  5. chest — of your body
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. cold — not warm
  8. ground — crushed
  9. rest — a break
  10. rush — hurry
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. rest — what's left
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. ground — a position
  17. chest — a box
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. ground — the earth
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. saw — the tool
  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