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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. snap — to click
  3. lie — to recline
  4. charge — in control
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mate — a friend
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. mate — to breed
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. charge — electricity
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. file — a document
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. charge — a price
  17. file — a tool
  18. chest — of your body
  19. file — a line of people
  20. pound — a weight
  21. chest — a box
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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