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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. stock — shares
  7. mine — for digging
  8. kick — in football
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. stock — goods
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. spell — magic
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. spell — a short time
  19. plane — a tool
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. spell — letters
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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