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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. game — a match
  3. chest — a box
  4. scale — in music
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. fork — in a road
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wake — a trail
  9. scale — size or range
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. rush — hurry
  13. court — for sport
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. present — the time now
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. present — there
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. court — of a king
  23. present — a gift
  24. court — of law

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