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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. present — there
  3. face — to confront
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. spell — letters
  7. track — a song
  8. spell — magic
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a path
  12. wound — an injury
  13. face — part of the head
  14. current — happening now
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spell — a short time
  18. current — electric
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. present — the time now
  21. present — a gift
  22. current — of water
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. face — to point toward

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