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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. content — the amount
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. hand — in cards
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. pound — a weight
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. content — happy
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. chest — of your body
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a city
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. chest — a box
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. toast — bread
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. pound — for dogs

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