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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rest — what's left
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. file — a line of people
  7. rest — a break
  8. chest — a box
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. file — a tool
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. degree — from a university
  14. chest — of your body
  15. degree — temperature
  16. kid — to tease
  17. file — a document
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. degree — an amount
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. kid — child
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. rest — what's left

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