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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. staff — employees
  4. foot — a measure
  5. game — a match
  6. scale — size or range
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. staff — a stick
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. staff — employees
  15. content — the amount
  16. chest — a box
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. chest — of your body
  19. content — happy
  20. scale — in music
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. content — videos and posts

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