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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — to point toward
  3. mate — a partner
  4. firm — a company
  5. land — to come down
  6. face — part of the head
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. track — to keep track
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. track — a song
  12. stock — goods
  13. land — a country
  14. firm — decided
  15. land — ground
  16. track — a path
  17. tear — from crying
  18. stock — shares
  19. mate — a friend
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. mate — to breed
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. firm — steady

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