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: race · bulb · tear · pitcher · squash · temple · foot · chest

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. chest — a box
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. race — the arms race
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. tear — from crying
  9. race — a contest
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. foot — a measure
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bulb — for light
  14. squash — to crush
  15. chest — of your body
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bulb — for light
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. race — humankind
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. foot — the bottom

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