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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. can — to be able to
  4. last — to go on
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. bear — the animal
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pit — a hole
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. last — finally
  12. can — a tin
  13. last — final
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pit — in a race
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chest — of your body
  19. can — a tin
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. chest — a box
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bear — the animal
  24. kid — child

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