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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. spring — the season
  3. charge — electricity
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bark — to shout
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. face — to point toward
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. face — part of the head
  12. net — for catching
  13. charge — a price
  14. charge — in control
  15. net — after costs
  16. face — to confront
  17. spring — of water
  18. net — in sport
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. chair — a leader
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — to come from
  24. chair — a professorship

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