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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. last — finally
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. last — to go on
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. foot — a measure
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. season — of the year
  9. rest — a break
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. stock — shares
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. face — part of the head
  15. last — final
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rest — what's left
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. season — in sport
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. rest — what's left
  23. stock — goods
  24. face — to point toward

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