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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. pit — in a race
  5. file — a document
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — in sport
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — certain
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. staff — employees
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rush — hurry
  17. net — for catching
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bound — tied together
  20. pit — a hole
  21. staff — a stick
  22. file — a line of people
  23. chest — of your body
  24. file — a tool

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