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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pop — soda
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. pop — music
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. object — a thing
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pop — to visit
  10. object — to protest
  11. cold — not warm
  12. press — newspapers
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. chest — a box
  15. press — to push
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — in cards
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to tire
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bore — to drill
  23. object — an aim
  24. hand — part of the 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