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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. bound — obliged
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. shower — to wash
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bound — certain
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bound — tied together
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. face — to confront
  15. degree — temperature
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. shower — rain
  18. prune — to trim
  19. hand — help
  20. prune — to trim
  21. degree — an amount
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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