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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. bear — the animal
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. rash — hasty
  5. scale — in music
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bear — the animal
  9. chest — of your body
  10. net — for catching
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. hand — help
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. chest — a box
  15. wind — moving air
  16. net — in sport
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pass — a permit
  19. net — after costs
  20. hand — in cards
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. scale — size or range
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rash — a series

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