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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fine — high quality
  3. chest — a box
  4. degree — from a university
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. degree — temperature
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. chest — of your body
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. degree — an amount
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bass — low music
  22. fine — all right
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. bass — the fish

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