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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. ground — crushed
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. face — to point toward
  6. capital — a city
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. face — part of the head
  10. ground — a position
  11. suit — to fit
  12. last — final
  13. ground — the earth
  14. face — to confront
  15. chip — for betting
  16. suit — clothes
  17. chip — to eat
  18. clip — a video
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. last — to go on
  21. capital — money
  22. suit — in cards
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — for paper

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