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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. date — the fruit
  6. face — to confront
  7. chest — of your body
  8. face — to point toward
  9. game — wild animals
  10. face — part of the head
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. chest — a box
  13. bear — the animal
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. game — a match
  18. chest — of your body
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. content — happy
  22. bear — the animal
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. content — the amount

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