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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. file — a document
  5. mine — for digging
  6. file — a tool
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. face — part of the head
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. capital — a city
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. file — a line of people
  17. dip — to sink
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. face — to point toward
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. capital — money
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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