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: present · mine · chest · rush · mate · wave · cold · stick

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mate — to breed
  3. present — the time now
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — a friend
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. chest — of your body
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cold — an illness
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — for digging
  15. present — a gift
  16. rush — hurry
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. present — there
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. cold — not warm
  23. chest — a box
  24. wave — of the sea

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