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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. saw — the tool
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rock — a stone
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. court — for sport
  11. prune — to trim
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rock — music
  15. court — of law
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. chest — a box
  21. saw — the tool
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. court — of a king
  24. wake — a trail

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