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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. face — to point toward
  3. land — to come down
  4. saw — the tool
  5. land — ground
  6. face — part of the head
  7. press — to push
  8. face — to confront
  9. march — the month
  10. net — for catching
  11. land — a country
  12. roll — a cake
  13. press — newspapers
  14. march — music
  15. bound — obliged
  16. march — the month
  17. saw — the tool
  18. net — in sport
  19. roll — a list
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bound — tied together
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. bound — certain

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