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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. face — to confront
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. branch — a division
  11. race — a contest
  12. row — a line
  13. lie — to recline
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — part of the head
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. row — to paddle
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — to crush
  21. race — humankind
  22. rule — government
  23. race — the arms race
  24. rule — a law

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