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: staff · hand · present · pitcher · rash · foot · rush · chest

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. present — a gift
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. staff — a stick
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. staff — employees
  14. rush — hurry
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. chest — a box
  17. rash — hasty
  18. present — there
  19. hand — in cards
  20. present — the time now
  21. staff — employees
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. hand — help

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