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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. object — to protest
  3. foot — a measure
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. row — a line
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. row — to paddle
  8. fork — in a road
  9. face — part of the head
  10. file — a document
  11. chair — a leader
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. file — a tool
  14. face — to confront
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. face — to point toward
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. object — a thing
  21. object — an aim
  22. file — a line of people
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. lie — to recline

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