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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. rash — hasty
  3. drill — the tool
  4. spring — a coil
  5. present — there
  6. object — to protest
  7. face — to point toward
  8. fork — in a road
  9. rash — a series
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. spring — the season
  13. drill — army training
  14. spring — of water
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. object — an aim
  17. object — a thing
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. face — to confront
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — the time now
  24. drill — a practice

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