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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. chest — of your body
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rash — a series
  6. board — a committee
  7. rash — hasty
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. chest — a box
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a great time
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. ball — a dance
  16. board — to get on
  17. chest — of your body
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the sport
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. mine — for digging
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. straw — a straw man

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