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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — to confront
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. cold — not warm
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. court — of law
  10. fork — in a road
  11. court — of a king
  12. craft — a skill
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. craft — boats
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. wake — a trail
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. face — part of the head
  23. cold — an illness
  24. court — for 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