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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. clip — a video
  3. chest — of your body
  4. clip — for paper
  5. chest — a box
  6. march — the month
  7. shower — rain
  8. face — part of the head
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bound — obliged
  11. march — the month
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. march — music
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — to wash
  17. face — to confront
  18. clip — to cut
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. bound — certain
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bound — tied together
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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