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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. field — a subject
  6. present — there
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. face — part of the head
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. present — a gift
  14. face — to point toward
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. field — farmland
  19. present — the time now
  20. branch — a division
  21. mine — for digging
  22. field — for sport
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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