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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. ground — crushed
  3. face — part of the head
  4. fall — to drop
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. tear — from crying
  7. roll — a list
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. face — to confront
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. ground — a position
  13. tear — from crying
  14. fall — the season
  15. tear — to rip
  16. roll — a cake
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. face — to point toward
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pop — soda
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. ground — the earth
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. pop — to visit

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