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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. face — to point toward
  3. land — ground
  4. face — part of the head
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. face — to confront
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. land — to come down
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bark — to shout
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. wound — an injury
  17. date — the fruit
  18. charge — electricity
  19. charge — a price
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. charge — in control
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. land — a country

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