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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. present — there
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. sharp — clever
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. present — the time now
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — to play on
  9. track — a song
  10. swing — in golf
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. chest — of your body
  13. present — a gift
  14. mate — a partner
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. track — a path
  21. mate — to breed
  22. track — to keep track
  23. fall — the season
  24. mate — a friend

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