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: snap · field · lie · content · last · lash · chest · cell

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. snap — to click
  3. last — to go on
  4. field — for sport
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — in biology
  7. chest — of your body
  8. cell — a phone
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. chest — of your body
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — happy
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. last — final
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. chest — a box
  19. field — farmland
  20. lie — to recline
  21. last — finally
  22. field — a subject
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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