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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bear — the animal
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — of water
  8. chest — a box
  9. present — a gift
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — soda
  13. scale — size or range
  14. spring — the season
  15. pop — to visit
  16. chest — of your body
  17. present — there
  18. hand — help
  19. present — the time now
  20. scale — in music
  21. bear — the animal
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. chest — of your body

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