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: snap · rest · can · straw · stand · chest · hand · track

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. chest — of your body
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. chest — a box
  6. track — a path
  7. hand — help
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. can — a tin
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. rest — what's left
  15. track — a song
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to click
  18. stand — to bear
  19. can — to be able to
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. can — a tin
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. track — to keep track

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