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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. row — a line
  3. saw — the tool
  4. last — final
  5. saw — the tool
  6. face — part of the head
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. race — humankind
  11. stem — to come from
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — finally
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. face — to point toward
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — a contest

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