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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. file — a tool
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pit — a hole
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. chest — of your body
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. chest — a box
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to click
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a line of people

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