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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. file — a document
  4. saw — the tool
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pit — a hole
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. pop — soda
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mark — a trace
  12. file — a tool
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — to visit
  15. present — a gift
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. mark — a grade
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. present — there
  23. present — the time now
  24. file — a line of people

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