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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rash — a series
  8. foot — a measure
  9. drill — a practice
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. last — final
  12. wind — moving air
  13. game — wild animals
  14. drill — the tool
  15. rash — hasty
  16. face — part of the head
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. face — to point toward
  19. game — a match
  20. last — finally
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. last — to go on
  23. drill — army training
  24. foot — the bottom

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