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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rush — hurry
  7. spring — of water
  8. hand — in cards
  9. scale — in music
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. chest — of your body
  12. spring — the season
  13. wound — an injury
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. board — to get on
  17. scale — size or range
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. chest — a box
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. board — a committee
  23. spring — a coil
  24. wound — an injury

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