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: rush · foot · race · chest · mark · band · press · track

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mark — a grade
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — a contest
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. track — to keep track
  11. band — a music group
  12. press — to push
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — a publisher
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. foot — a measure
  18. chest — a box
  19. track — a path
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. band — a ring
  22. track — a song
  23. mark — a trace
  24. band — a rubber band

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