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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — the season
  4. clip — for paper
  5. face — to point toward
  6. clip — a video
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. sharp — clever
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. key — the most important part
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. face — to confront
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. spring — a coil
  17. row — a line
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — in music
  20. clip — to cut
  21. row — to paddle
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. safe — out of danger

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