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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. face — part of the head
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. root — of a word
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. root — the cause
  11. face — to point toward
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — for sport
  19. bound — certain
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bat — the animal
  24. court — of law

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