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 120 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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bound — tied together
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bound — obliged
  8. tear — from crying
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. tear — from crying
  11. degree — an amount
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. lie — to recline
  18. tear — to rip
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. degree — from a university
  21. chest — a box
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bound — certain

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