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: cue · branch · rush · field · safe · cold · bore · chest

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. cue — for pool
  4. field — farmland
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cold — not warm
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. cue — a signal
  11. field — for sport
  12. branch — a division
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bore — to drill
  15. field — a subject
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. rush — hurry
  18. chest — a box
  19. bore — to tire
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cold — an illness
  24. bore — gave birth

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