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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. face — to confront
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. face — part of the head
  6. shower — to wash
  7. land — ground
  8. face — to point toward
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. fall — to drop
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. fall — the season
  15. shower — rain
  16. game — a match
  17. game — wild animals
  18. fall — to drop
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. land — to come down
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. land — a country
  24. mine — for digging

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