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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. file — a line of people
  4. scale — in music
  5. face — to point toward
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. game — a match
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. file — a tool
  11. face — part of the head
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. wind — moving air
  15. file — a document
  16. lie — to recline
  17. face — to confront
  18. wind — moving air
  19. rule — government
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. game — wild animals
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rule — a law
  24. scale — size or range

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