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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. face — to point toward
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bat — the animal
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. face — part of the head
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. chair — a leader
  23. face — to confront
  24. chest — of your 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