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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. charge — a price
  3. court — for sport
  4. bass — low music
  5. charge — in control
  6. pop — to visit
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bass — the fish
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. court — of a king
  14. charge — electricity
  15. clip — a video
  16. court — of law
  17. game — wild animals
  18. chest — a box
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — a match
  21. clip — for paper
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — music
  24. clip — to cut

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