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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — a subject
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. face — to confront
  7. field — for sport
  8. rest — what's left
  9. game — a match
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. lie — to recline
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. face — to point toward
  15. rush — hurry
  16. cold — not warm
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. mark — a trace
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cold — an illness

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