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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. face — part of the head
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. present — a gift
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. present — the time now
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — for digging
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. snap — to click
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bear — the animal
  20. face — to point toward
  21. bear — the animal
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. present — there

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