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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. land — to come down
  4. dip — to sink
  5. chest — of your body
  6. track — a path
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. net — after costs
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. net — for catching
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. deal — to handle
  13. track — to keep track
  14. land — a country
  15. net — in sport
  16. chest — a box
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. chest — of your body
  19. track — a song
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. land — ground
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. bat — the animal

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