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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pit — in a race
  3. current — of water
  4. cold — not warm
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. pit — a hole
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. chest — a box
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. squash — to crush
  15. chest — of your body
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. squash — the sport
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. current — electric
  24. current — happening now

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