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: spell · bat · cell · game · stand · chest · pound · can

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. pound — a weight
  4. game — a match
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — magic
  10. can — a tin
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bat — the animal
  14. game — wild animals
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. can — to be able to
  20. chest — of your body
  21. spell — letters
  22. can — a tin
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. stand — to bear

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