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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. toast — bread
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. foot — a measure
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — for money
  10. chest — a box
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. pop — to visit
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bank — of a river
  15. roll — a list
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. pop — soda
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. pop — music
  22. roll — a cake
  23. rush — hurry
  24. foot — the bottom

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