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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. face — part of the head
  3. land — a country
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. face — to confront
  8. cap — a lid
  9. land — to come down
  10. hand — help
  11. face — to point toward
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cap — of ice
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cap — a hat
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. pit — in a race
  22. cell — in biology
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. hand — in cards

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