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 116 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. board — a committee
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. board — to get on
  7. face — to point toward
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. content — the amount
  10. face — part of the head
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. content — happy
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — to shout
  22. capital — money
  23. face — to confront
  24. bat — the animal

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