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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. wound — an injury
  3. track — a song
  4. face — to confront
  5. chest — of your body
  6. can — to be able to
  7. present — a gift
  8. can — a tin
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. present — there
  12. face — to point toward
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. wound — an injury
  16. track — to keep track
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. present — the time now
  19. can — a tin
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. track — a path
  23. face — part of the head
  24. wave — with your hand

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