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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. chest — of your body
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. chest — of your body
  7. cold — not warm
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. squash — to crush
  15. kid — child
  16. chest — a box
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. squash — the sport
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. deal — to handle
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cold — an illness
  24. squash — the vegetable

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