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 116 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — to point toward
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. suit — clothes
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. pop — to visit
  8. court — of a king
  9. file — a line of people
  10. pop — soda
  11. wake — a trail
  12. file — a document
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. court — for sport
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. face — part of the head
  17. pop — music
  18. file — a tool
  19. suit — to fit
  20. suit — in cards
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. game — a match
  23. game — wild animals
  24. court — of law

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