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: content · chest · charge · roll · rock · bat · cue · arm

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. rock — music
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. charge — in control
  5. content — happy
  6. chest — a box
  7. roll — a cake
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. rock — a stone
  10. charge — a price
  11. chest — of your body
  12. charge — electricity
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. cue — for pool
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. roll — a list
  19. content — the amount
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. cue — a signal
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bat — the animal
  24. arm — part of the 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