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 120 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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of a king
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. band — a music group
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. land — a country
  8. band — a ring
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. face — part of the head
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. land — ground
  13. pitch — completely
  14. court — of law
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bark — to shout
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. rush — hurry
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. land — to come down
  23. face — to point toward
  24. rush — a thrill

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