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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. kid — child
  7. mate — to breed
  8. present — the time now
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. present — a gift
  16. sharp — clever
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. game — a match
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. chest — a box
  21. game — wild animals
  22. present — there
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — a trace

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