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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. land — a country
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bound — certain
  7. cell — a phone
  8. face — to confront
  9. charge — a price
  10. race — a contest
  11. charge — electricity
  12. face — to point toward
  13. press — to push
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bound — obliged
  16. land — ground
  17. rush — hurry
  18. land — to come down
  19. race — humankind
  20. charge — in control
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bound — tied together
  23. cell — in biology
  24. press — a publisher

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