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: date · bear · mouse · rock · field · chest · spell · sharp

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. sharp — clever
  8. spell — letters
  9. rock — music
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bear — the animal
  13. field — a subject
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. field — for sport
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rock — a stone
  18. date — the fruit
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. field — farmland
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. spell — a short time
  23. chest — a box
  24. spell — magic

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