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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — low music
  4. net — for catching
  5. face — to confront
  6. net — after costs
  7. root — of a word
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. face — part of the head
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bass — the fish
  13. root — of a plant
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. net — in sport
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. scale — size or range
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. root — the cause
  21. saw — the tool
  22. scale — in music
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. mine — for digging

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