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: game · file · row · hand · mouse · chest · chair · cap

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. row — a line
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cap — a lid
  7. chest — a box
  8. chair — a leader
  9. file — a document
  10. hand — help
  11. cap — a hat
  12. game — wild animals
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. file — a tool
  16. row — to paddle
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. file — a line of people
  19. cap — of ice
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. game — a match

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