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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. charge — electricity
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. chest — of your body
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. degree — temperature
  10. charge — in control
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. charge — a price
  13. hand — in cards
  14. rash — a series
  15. degree — from a university
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. hand — help
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. degree — an amount
  22. chest — a box
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. racket — a loud noise

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