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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · hand · cell · chair · lash · ruler

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cell — in biology
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. hand — in cards
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. chest — a box
  11. chair — a leader
  12. cell — a phone
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. chest — of your body
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. lash — to lash out

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