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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. rule — government
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. spring — of water
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. branch — a division
  13. rule — a law
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to point toward
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. spring — the season
  24. branch — of a bank

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