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: ground · rush · lie · branch · kid · calf · file · chest

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. lie — to recline
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. branch — a division
  7. chest — a box
  8. kid — to tease
  9. rush — hurry
  10. file — a document
  11. kid — child
  12. ground — the earth
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. ground — a position
  16. file — a tool
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. ground — crushed
  20. file — a line of people
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. chest — of your body

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