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: chest · club · cue · hand · cell · wound · sharp · stand

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. club — for dancing
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cue — a hint
  9. club — for golf
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. hand — help
  15. club — a group
  16. cue — a signal
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. cell — in biology
  19. wound — an injury
  20. sharp — clever
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. chest — a box
  24. cell — a phone

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