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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. face — part of the head
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. face — to confront
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. cell — a phone
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. root — of a plant
  9. cell — in biology
  10. face — to point toward
  11. shower — rain
  12. root — of a word
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. mark — a grade
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mark — a trace
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. shower — to wash
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. root — the cause

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