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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. tube — the underground
  3. rest — what's left
  4. fine — high quality
  5. mate — a friend
  6. present — the time now
  7. cold — not warm
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. chip — for betting
  10. tube — a container
  11. face — to confront
  12. present — a gift
  13. face — to point toward
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. cold — an illness
  16. face — part of the head
  17. rest — what's left
  18. chip — to eat
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. present — there
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mate — to breed
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. rest — a break

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