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: cabinet · chest · stand · tube · kick · bark · squash · mug

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. mug — a face
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. chest — a box
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bark — to shout
  11. squash — the sport
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. mug — a cup
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. kick — in football
  19. chest — of your body
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mug — to rob
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. squash — to crush

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