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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. can — a tin
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. board — to get on
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mate — a friend
  12. cold — an illness
  13. board — a committee
  14. chest — a box
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. mate — to breed
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. fall — to drop
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. cold — not warm

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