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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. spell — magic
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. charge — in control
  6. club — for dancing
  7. face — part of the head
  8. club — for golf
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. spell — letters
  11. kick — in football
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. face — to point toward
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — the earth
  17. row — a line
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — electricity
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. club — a group
  22. ground — a position
  23. pitch — completely
  24. spell — a short time

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