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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. face — to confront
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cue — a hint
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. face — part of the head
  8. cue — for pool
  9. pound — a weight
  10. firm — decided
  11. mine — for digging
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. cue — a signal
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. fall — the season
  16. tear — from crying
  17. firm — steady
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. tear — to rip
  20. face — to point toward
  21. fall — to drop
  22. tear — from crying
  23. firm — a company
  24. pound — to hit hard

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