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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. scale — size or range
  5. ground — the earth
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pit — a hole
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. ground — a position
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. face — to point toward
  17. hand — in cards
  18. scale — in music
  19. face — part of the head
  20. ground — crushed
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. straw — a straw man

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