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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. drill — the tool
  3. degree — temperature
  4. scale — size or range
  5. mug — a cup
  6. degree — from a university
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. chest — of your body
  9. content — happy
  10. chest — a box
  11. scale — in music
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. drill — a practice
  14. content — the amount
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. mug — to rob
  17. drill — army training
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. mine — for digging
  22. degree — an amount
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mug — a face

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