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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. pass — a permit
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. spring — the season
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. face — to point toward
  9. spring — of water
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. pop — music
  12. cell — a phone
  13. spring — a coil
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. face — part of the head
  16. pop — to visit
  17. face — to confront
  18. land — to come down
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. pop — soda
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. cell — in biology
  23. land — ground
  24. cabinet — ministers

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