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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. season — of the year
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. season — in sport
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. face — to confront
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — happy
  15. face — part of the head
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. content — the amount
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. rash — hasty
  23. face — to point toward
  24. rash — on the skin

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