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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. chest — of your body
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. kid — child
  5. bound — certain
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. pop — soda
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. chest — a box
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bound — tied together
  16. toast — bread
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bound — obliged
  19. kid — to tease
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. pop — music
  23. chest — of your body
  24. wound — an injury

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