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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. staff — a stick
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. staff — employees
  7. kid — child
  8. chest — of your body
  9. land — ground
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. chest — a box
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. mark — a grade
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — a country
  19. kid — to tease
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mark — a trace
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rush — hurry
  24. staff — employees

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