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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bat — the animal
  4. object — to protest
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. face — to confront
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — hurry
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. game — wild animals
  13. mine — for digging
  14. game — a match
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. object — an aim
  19. face — part of the head
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. hide — to keep secret

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