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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. charge — in control
  3. pit — a hole
  4. last — to go on
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. face — part of the head
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. shower — rain
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. face — to confront
  11. bear — the animal
  12. last — finally
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. face — to point toward
  16. pit — in a race
  17. charge — a price
  18. bear — the animal
  19. last — final
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. charge — electricity

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