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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. field — a subject
  3. lie — to recline
  4. field — for sport
  5. snap — to click
  6. cap — of ice
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. last — to go on
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. field — farmland
  12. cap — a lid
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to confront
  16. last — final
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fine — high quality
  19. last — finally
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — to sink
  23. cap — a hat
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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