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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. charge — electricity
  3. face — part of the head
  4. chest — of your body
  5. lie — to recline
  6. face — to confront
  7. degree — an amount
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. pop — to visit
  11. fall — to drop
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pop — soda
  16. charge — a price
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. degree — from a university
  19. pop — music
  20. face — to point toward
  21. tear — from crying
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. fall — the season
  24. degree — temperature

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