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: fan · chest · lean · suit · object · rock · bat · patient

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. rock — music
  3. suit — to fit
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bat — the animal
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. suit — clothes
  8. chest — a box
  9. lean — thin
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. object — a thing
  12. lean — to bend
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. object — an aim
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. object — to protest
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. chest — of your body
  24. suit — in cards

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