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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — to point toward
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. race — humankind
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. saw — the tool
  9. court — of a king
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. vault — a safe
  12. face — part of the head
  13. race — the arms race
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. race — a contest
  16. court — for sport
  17. field — for sport
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. field — farmland
  20. court — of law
  21. saw — the tool
  22. field — a subject
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. fan — to cool the air

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