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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. game — wild animals
  3. rest — what's left
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. game — a match
  11. can — a tin
  12. pass — a permit
  13. can — to be able to
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. snap — to click
  16. bat — the animal
  17. chest — a box
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. rest — a break
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. can — a tin

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