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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. club — for golf
  3. face — to confront
  4. club — a group
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rest — a break
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. fine — high quality
  14. rest — what's left
  15. face — part of the head
  16. club — for dancing
  17. rest — what's left
  18. band — a music group
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — a video
  21. band — a ring
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. clip — to cut
  24. coach — a trainer

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