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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. suit — clothes
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. suit — to fit
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. chest — a box
  18. bat — the animal
  19. suit — in cards
  20. bark — to shout
  21. sharp — clever
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. wax — to grow

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