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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. row — a line
  3. face — to point toward
  4. club — a group
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. club — for golf
  7. lean — thin
  8. last — final
  9. fall — the season
  10. root — of a plant
  11. fall — to drop
  12. club — for dancing
  13. lean — to bend
  14. fall — to drop
  15. root — of a word
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. root — the cause
  19. toast — bread
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. last — finally
  22. last — to go on
  23. face — part of the head
  24. row — to paddle

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