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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. face — to confront
  3. game — a match
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. face — part of the head
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. kick — in football
  11. last — finally
  12. content — happy
  13. last — final
  14. game — wild animals
  15. content — the amount
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. last — to go on
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. face — to point toward
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. straw — dry grass

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