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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. field — for sport
  3. can — a tin
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. field — a subject
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. cold — not warm
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. face — to confront
  10. suit — clothes
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — part of the head
  13. cold — an illness
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. suit — to fit
  17. lie — to recline
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bat — the animal
  20. suit — in cards
  21. can — to be able to
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. field — farmland
  24. bat — for baseball

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