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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. face — to point toward
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. face — to confront
  5. prune — to trim
  6. face — part of the head
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. game — wild animals
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a document
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. march — the month
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. march — the month
  19. file — a tool
  20. march — music
  21. game — a match
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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