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 · saw · court · dip · snap · ball · fan · file

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. saw — the tool
  4. chest — of your body
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of a king
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. chest — a box
  9. ball — a great time
  10. file — a document
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. file — a line of people
  13. snap — to click
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. court — of law
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. file — a tool
  18. chest — of your body
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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