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 · wave · stick · root · hand · swing · cell · present

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. present — there
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. swing — in golf
  6. hand — in cards
  7. cell — in biology
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. chest — a box
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. root — of a word
  12. cell — a phone
  13. swing — to play on
  14. root — the cause
  15. present — a gift
  16. swing — music
  17. present — the time now
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. hand — help
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. root — of a plant
  22. chest — of your body
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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