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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. pit — a hole
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bass — low music
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rest — what's left
  9. cell — a phone
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. root — the cause
  12. face — to confront
  13. rest — a break
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. game — a match
  17. rest — what's left
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — of a plant
  20. face — part of the head
  21. pit — in a race
  22. cell — in biology
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. face — to point toward

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