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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. face — part of the head
  5. dip — to sink
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. last — final
  8. wound — an injury
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. spring — a coil
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. spring — of water
  14. bat — the animal
  15. face — to confront
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. wound — an injury
  18. last — to go on
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. spring — the season
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. last — finally

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