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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. face — to point toward
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. face — part of the head
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. face — to confront
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — in sport
  10. cell — a phone
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. cell — in biology
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. wax — to grow
  17. present — there
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. dip — to sink
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — a gift
  24. deal — to handle

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