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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. branch — a division
  3. wake — a trail
  4. content — the amount
  5. face — to point toward
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. pit — a hole
  8. content — happy
  9. wind — moving air
  10. face — to confront
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. face — part of the head
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. rest — what's left
  15. wind — moving air
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. rest — a break
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. rest — what's left
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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