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 120 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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. last — final
  5. mine — for digging
  6. cold — an illness
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. court — of a king
  12. face — part of the head
  13. rest — what's left
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. fine — high quality
  16. face — to confront
  17. court — of law
  18. face — to point toward
  19. fine — all right
  20. lean — thin
  21. last — finally
  22. cold — not warm
  23. court — for sport
  24. lean — to bend

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