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

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. roll — a cake
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a skill
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cue — a hint
  12. roll — a list
  13. club — for golf
  14. pit — in a race
  15. cue — for pool
  16. chair — a leader
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. club — for dancing
  19. face — part of the head
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pit — a hole
  23. club — a group
  24. face — to point toward

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