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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mate — a friend
  4. face — part of the head
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. chest — a box
  10. mate — a partner
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. capital — a city
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. craft — a skill
  17. craft — boats
  18. mate — to breed
  19. capital — money
  20. chest — of your body
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — to point toward
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a match

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