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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. face — to confront
  3. bank — for money
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. face — part of the head
  6. club — a group
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bank — for money
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — magic
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. face — to point toward
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. pound — a weight
  16. spell — a short time
  17. club — for golf
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. cell — in biology
  20. club — for dancing
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bank — of a river
  23. cell — a phone
  24. hand — help

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