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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. face — to confront
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. game — wild animals
  8. toast — bread
  9. plane — a tool
  10. face — part of the head
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. cold — not warm
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. net — after costs
  15. game — a match
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. face — to point toward
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — an illness
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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