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 120 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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. face — to confront
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. face — to point toward
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. spring — a coil
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. kick — in football
  15. spring — of water
  16. season — of the year
  17. wind — moving air
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. face — part of the head
  22. spring — the season
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mouse — the animal

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