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: sharp · suit · pound · fan · chest · last · plane · ground

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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. suit — in cards
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. suit — to fit
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. suit — clothes
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. last — finally
  11. sharp — clever
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. last — to go on
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. plane — a tool
  18. ground — the earth
  19. pound — a weight
  20. ground — a position
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. last — final
  24. ground — crushed

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