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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. suit — to fit
  3. rest — a break
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. face — part of the head
  6. land — ground
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a great time
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. land — a country
  12. suit — clothes
  13. rest — what's left
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. face — to point toward
  17. toast — bread
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — not warm
  20. land — to come down
  21. ball — a dance
  22. face — to confront
  23. suit — in cards
  24. coach — a trainer

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