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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. rest — a break
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pop — soda
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pop — music
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. chest — of your body
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. pop — to visit
  13. chest — a box
  14. foot — a measure
  15. face — to point toward
  16. rest — what's left
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. face — to confront
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. bark — to shout

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