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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. spring — a coil
  5. sharp — clever
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. perch — the fish
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. can — a tin
  10. spring — the season
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. scale — size or range
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. can — a tin
  17. chest — of your body
  18. squash — to crush
  19. spring — of water
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. squash — the sport
  23. can — to be able to
  24. chest — a box

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