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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — in a race
  3. chest — of your body
  4. march — music
  5. can — to be able to
  6. chest — of your body
  7. sharp — clever
  8. can — a tin
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. march — the month
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. chest — a box
  17. land — to come down
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. land — a country
  20. can — a tin
  21. march — the month
  22. land — ground
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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