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 116 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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. tube — a container
  3. field — a subject
  4. bear — the animal
  5. stock — shares
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. hand — help
  8. bear — the animal
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. face — to point toward
  12. tube — the underground
  13. face — part of the head
  14. court — for sport
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. field — for sport
  19. court — of law
  20. field — farmland
  21. hand — in cards
  22. court — of a king
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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