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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. clip — to cut
  4. cue — a hint
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. cue — for pool
  7. stem — to come from
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — music
  10. lie — to recline
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. chest — of your body
  13. swing — to play on
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. clip — for paper
  16. shower — to wash
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. clip — a video
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. shower — rain
  23. cue — a signal
  24. chest — a box

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