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: chest · rush · ground · lash · foot · capital · pitch · cell

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. rush — hurry
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in biology
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. chest — a box
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. ground — crushed
  15. pitch — completely
  16. ground — the earth
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a city
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. foot — a measure
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. ground — a position
  24. pitch — a sports field

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