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 116 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. kick — in football
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. content — happy
  6. key — in music
  7. branch — a division
  8. face — part of the head
  9. scale — in music
  10. bark — to shout
  11. content — the amount
  12. wind — moving air
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. wind — moving air
  15. face — to point toward
  16. key — the most important part
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. key — for a lock
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. scale — for weighing

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