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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. lie — to recline
  3. kid — child
  4. field — a subject
  5. rash — hasty
  6. spring — the season
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wake — a trail
  9. field — farmland
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. face — part of the head
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. spring — a coil
  14. face — to point toward
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. kid — to tease
  17. spring — of water
  18. field — for sport
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. rash — a series

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