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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. last — final
  3. prune — to trim
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — employees
  6. last — to go on
  7. track — a path
  8. saw — the tool
  9. track — a song
  10. board — to get on
  11. prune — to trim
  12. face — to confront
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. board — a committee
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. saw — the tool
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. last — finally
  20. face — part of the head
  21. track — to keep track
  22. staff — a stick
  23. foot — a measure
  24. foot — part of the 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