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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. charge — electricity
  3. chest — a box
  4. court — of law
  5. bat — the animal
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. court — of a king
  11. charge — in control
  12. rush — hurry
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. chest — of your body
  16. swing — music
  17. fork — in a road
  18. court — for sport
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. chest — of your body
  23. swing — in golf
  24. charge — a price

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