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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. face — to confront
  3. spring — the season
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. face — part of the head
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — a law
  9. mug — to rob
  10. race — humankind
  11. face — to point toward
  12. rule — government
  13. craft — boats
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — of water
  16. craft — a skill
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. race — the arms race
  20. mug — a face
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mug — a cup
  23. race — a contest
  24. pitcher — a jug

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