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 124 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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. snap — to click
  3. face — part of the head
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. shower — rain
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. firm — decided
  10. land — a country
  11. face — to confront
  12. mine — for digging
  13. firm — a company
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. shower — to wash
  17. foot — a measure
  18. face — to point toward
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. land — to come down
  21. firm — steady
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to bend
  24. mine — belonging to me

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