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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mug — a cup
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a face
  7. capital — a city
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. lean — to bend
  10. mine — for digging
  11. lean — thin
  12. mark — a trace
  13. capital — money
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mark — a grade
  16. face — part of the head
  17. clip — to cut
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. clip — a video
  21. rush — hurry
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. face — to point toward
  24. clip — for paper

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