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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. ground — a position
  3. face — part of the head
  4. swing — to play on
  5. tube — the underground
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. ground — the earth
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. fall — to drop
  10. swing — music
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. swing — in golf
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. ground — crushed
  17. face — to point toward
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. face — to confront
  22. fall — the season
  23. tube — a container
  24. fan — a supporter

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