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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. firm — a company
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. face — part of the head
  6. firm — decided
  7. face — to confront
  8. key — for a lock
  9. firm — steady
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. key — the most important part
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — in a race
  18. degree — an amount
  19. key — in music
  20. degree — from a university
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bat — the animal
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. degree — temperature

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