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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. game — a match
  3. row — a line
  4. mug — to rob
  5. game — wild animals
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — help
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. swing — to play on
  12. face — to point toward
  13. plane — a tool
  14. mug — a cup
  15. tear — to rip
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. swing — in golf
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. swing — music
  22. face — to confront
  23. mug — a face
  24. row — to paddle

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