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: swing · bound · rush · deal · object · bat · arm · chest

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. object — a thing
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — tied together
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. chest — a box
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rush — hurry
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. object — to protest
  13. swing — in golf
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bat — the animal
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. swing — to play on
  20. deal — to handle
  21. bound — certain
  22. object — an aim
  23. swing — music
  24. deal — a big deal

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