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 120 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: mate · fork · hand · content · coach · nail · stem · chest

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. stem — to come from
  4. chest — of your body
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. hand — help
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — to breed
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. mate — a partner
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — in a road
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. content — the amount
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. chest — a box
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. hand — in cards
  24. content — happy

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