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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. rule — government
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wound — an injury
  6. face — to point toward
  7. chest — a box
  8. wound — an injury
  9. face — part of the head
  10. capital — money
  11. face — to confront
  12. can — a tin
  13. craft — a skill
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. chest — of your body
  16. craft — boats
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. can — a tin
  19. rule — a law
  20. capital — a city
  21. game — wild animals
  22. can — to be able to
  23. game — a match
  24. game — a kind of play

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