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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. mine — for digging
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. face — part of the head
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. chip — for betting
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — from a university
  14. hand — in cards
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. face — to point toward
  17. chip — to eat
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. degree — temperature
  21. hand — help
  22. pass — a permit
  23. bat — the animal
  24. sharp — clever

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