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 120 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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. hand — in cards
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cold — not warm
  11. mate — a partner
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chest — a box
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. hand — help
  18. chip — for betting
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. cold — an illness
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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