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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. kick — in football
  6. net — after costs
  7. pop — soda
  8. chest — a box
  9. charge — electricity
  10. wind — moving air
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — high quality
  13. wind — moving air
  14. net — for catching
  15. pop — to visit
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pop — music
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. charge — in control
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. charge — a price
  22. net — in sport
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. sharp — exactly

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