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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. face — to point toward
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pop — soda
  8. row — a line
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mark — a grade
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. row — to paddle
  17. face — part of the head
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in biology
  21. mark — a trace
  22. face — to confront
  23. pop — music
  24. date — the fruit

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