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 116 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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. cell — in biology
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cell — a phone
  5. net — in sport
  6. face — part of the head
  7. net — for catching
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mug — a face
  12. net — after costs
  13. mug — a cup
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. mug — to rob
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. face — to confront
  20. wake — a trail
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. cabinet — ministers

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