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: content · tear · mine · safe · lie · straw · chair · chest

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. content — happy
  4. tear — from crying
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. chest — a box
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. tear — from crying
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. content — the amount
  14. mine — for digging
  15. tear — to rip
  16. chair — a leader
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chest — of your body
  23. safe — out of danger
  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