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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. object — an aim
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bank — of a river
  5. season — of the year
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — in sport
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bank — for money
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — wild animals
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — to protest
  18. game — a match
  19. bank — for money
  20. season — in sport
  21. chest — a box
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. chair — a leader
  24. net — for catching

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