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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. chest — a box
  3. mark — a trace
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. field — a subject
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. mark — a grade
  9. pound — a weight
  10. toast — bread
  11. chest — of your body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. snap — to click
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — for sport
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. hand — in cards

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