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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mate — a friend
  3. pit — a hole
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. net — after costs
  6. mate — to breed
  7. cap — a lid
  8. key — for a lock
  9. spring — a coil
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. mate — a partner
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — in a road
  15. key — in music
  16. spring — the season
  17. key — the most important part
  18. cap — a hat
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. net — for catching
  21. spring — of water
  22. cap — of ice
  23. pit — in a race
  24. net — in sport

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