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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — a price
  4. cold — not warm
  5. mug — to rob
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fine — high quality
  9. swing — in golf
  10. face — to confront
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — a face
  14. charge — electricity
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. swing — music
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. fine — all right
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. bulb — for light
  22. face — to point toward
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. swing — to play on

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