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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. snap — to click
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. object — a thing
  6. pop — to visit
  7. object — an aim
  8. last — final
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. last — to go on
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pop — soda
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. pop — music
  15. bore — to drill
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. last — finally
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. object — to protest
  20. mine — for digging
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. bore — to tire
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — to hit hard

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