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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. face — to confront
  4. mark — a trace
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — the time now
  7. cold — an illness
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — final
  10. rest — a break
  11. cold — not warm
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mark — a grade
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rest — what's left
  16. present — there
  17. face — to point toward
  18. last — finally
  19. fall — to drop
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fall — the season
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. fall — to drop
  24. face — part of the head

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