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: fan · roll · chest · current · snap · pit · face · net

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. roll — a list
  4. face — to point toward
  5. net — in sport
  6. snap — to click
  7. current — of water
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. chest — a box
  10. pit — a hole
  11. net — after costs
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. roll — a cake
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to confront
  16. pit — in a race
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. current — happening now
  19. chest — of your body
  20. current — electric
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. net — for catching
  24. fan — to cool the air

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