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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. chest — a box
  5. file — a tool
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. file — a line of people
  8. craft — boats
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. chest — of your body
  11. craft — a skill
  12. hand — in cards
  13. season — in sport
  14. rush — hurry
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. rest — what's left
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. file — a document
  23. hand — help
  24. season — of the year

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