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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — in sport
  4. wind — moving air
  5. spell — a short time
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — a country
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. land — ground
  11. cap — of ice
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. net — for catching
  15. cap — a hat
  16. face — to point toward
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — a phone
  19. face — to confront
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cap — a lid
  22. spell — letters
  23. lie — to recline
  24. spell — magic

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