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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — to point toward
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. roll — a list
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. press — to push
  10. band — a ring
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. roll — a cake
  13. swing — music
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. press — a publisher
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — to play on
  18. ball — a dance
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. face — part of the head
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. press — newspapers
  23. band — a music group
  24. ball — a great time

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