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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. face — to confront
  3. last — to go on
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. last — finally
  7. face — part of the head
  8. net — after costs
  9. toast — bread
  10. suit — in cards
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bound — certain
  13. net — for catching
  14. suit — clothes
  15. last — final
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bound — tied together
  19. net — in sport
  20. clip — for paper
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. suit — to fit
  23. bound — obliged
  24. clip — a video

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