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: temple · lash · cabinet · face · cell · chest · cold · wound

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. chest — of your body
  6. face — to confront
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. chest — a box
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. face — to point toward
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — not warm
  16. face — part of the head
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. wound — an injury
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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