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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. squash — the sport
  3. cap — of ice
  4. squash — to crush
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. ground — a position
  8. staff — employees
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. staff — employees
  12. game — wild animals
  13. ground — crushed
  14. staff — a stick
  15. game — a match
  16. bulb — for light
  17. chest — of your body
  18. cap — a lid
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. chest — a box
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cap — a hat
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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