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: kid · lie · chest · drill · bat · leaves · track · tube

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. drill — the tool
  3. track — to keep track
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. chest — of your body
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. kid — to tease
  10. tube — a container
  11. bat — the animal
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. drill — army training
  16. lie — to recline
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. kid — child
  20. tube — the underground
  21. chest — a box
  22. track — a song
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. track — a path

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