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: game · chest · sharp · bark · lean · wake · cue · cabinet

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bark — to shout
  6. game — a match
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. game — wild animals
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. chest — a box
  15. lean — to bend
  16. cue — a hint
  17. lean — thin
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. wake — a trail
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cue — for pool

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