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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bass — the fish
  10. net — in sport
  11. land — a country
  12. pass — a permit
  13. row — to paddle
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. row — a line
  16. mine — for digging
  17. face — to point toward
  18. land — ground
  19. land — to come down
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — after costs
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — a safe

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