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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. kick — in football
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. march — the month
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bound — obliged
  7. net — after costs
  8. wake — a trail
  9. face — part of the head
  10. field — for sport
  11. bound — tied together
  12. march — music
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. field — a subject
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. net — for catching
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. field — farmland
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. march — the month
  21. bound — certain
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. net — in sport

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