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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. pound — a weight
  4. chest — of your body
  5. game — wild animals
  6. chest — a box
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. game — a match
  10. rest — a break
  11. pit — in a race
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. chest — of your body
  14. last — finally
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pit — a hole
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. stand — to bear
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. last — to go on

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