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 116 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. season — in sport
  3. key — the most important part
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. squash — the sport
  6. face — to point toward
  7. season — of the year
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. face — to confront
  12. hand — help
  13. squash — to crush
  14. stock — shares
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. deal — to handle
  17. sharp — clever
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. stock — goods
  21. key — for a lock
  22. hand — in cards
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. key — in music

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