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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. chest — of your body
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. fine — high quality
  6. row — to paddle
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. stem — to come from
  9. face — to point toward
  10. pitch — completely
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. chest — of your body
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. row — a line
  18. chest — a box
  19. face — part of the head
  20. plane — a tool
  21. fine — all right
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — a stem cell

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