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: roll · cold · racket · chest · suit · sharp · can · rash

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. can — a tin
  7. sharp — clever
  8. roll — a cake
  9. cold — not warm
  10. chest — a box
  11. roll — a list
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. chest — of your body
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. suit — in cards
  16. cold — an illness
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — a series
  21. suit — clothes
  22. can — a tin
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. chest — of your body

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