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 120 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. key — the most important part
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. land — ground
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. key — in music
  8. fine — all right
  9. degree — from a university
  10. land — a country
  11. land — to come down
  12. ground — crushed
  13. degree — an amount
  14. fine — high quality
  15. key — for a lock
  16. face — part of the head
  17. ground — a position
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. ground — the earth
  20. face — to point toward
  21. degree — temperature
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. wake — a trail

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