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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. face — to confront
  5. pitch — completely
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. squash — the sport
  9. content — happy
  10. content — the amount
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. squash — to crush
  14. swing — music
  15. face — part of the head
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. fall — to drop
  20. swing — in golf
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — government
  23. chair — a leader
  24. swing — to play on

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