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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. spring — the season
  4. roll — a list
  5. face — part of the head
  6. roll — a cake
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. spring — a coil
  10. charge — a price
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bulb — for light
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. charge — electricity
  20. bulb — for light
  21. spring — of water
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. face — to point toward
  24. charge — in control

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