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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. face — to confront
  3. mug — a face
  4. mug — to rob
  5. land — to come down
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. squash — the sport
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. ground — crushed
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. face — to point toward
  14. squash — to crush
  15. snap — to click
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. mug — a cup
  20. land — a country
  21. face — part of the head
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. land — ground
  24. hide — to keep secret

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