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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. kid — child
  3. cue — for pool
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. chest — a box
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. field — farmland
  8. lie — to recline
  9. cue — a signal
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. kid — to tease
  12. field — for sport
  13. wind — moving air
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. court — of a king
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. cue — a hint
  18. field — a subject
  19. wind — moving air
  20. court — for sport
  21. chest — of your body
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. court — of law
  24. lie — an untruth

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