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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. face — to confront
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. race — the arms race
  6. face — part of the head
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. bass — low music
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. race — a contest
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pound — a weight
  16. fall — the season
  17. scale — size or range
  18. fall — to drop
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. fall — to drop
  21. race — humankind
  22. scale — in music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. face — to point toward

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