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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — part of the head
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. press — to push
  7. kid — to tease
  8. content — the amount
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. content — happy
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. dip — to sink
  13. press — a publisher
  14. chest — a box
  15. kid — child
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. pitch — completely
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rule — a law
  21. press — newspapers
  22. chest — of your body
  23. rule — government
  24. pitch — a sports field

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