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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. ground — crushed
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chair — a leader
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. ground — a position
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — goods
  13. content — the amount
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stock — shares
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. saw — the tool
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. ground — the earth
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chest — a box
  24. content — happy

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