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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. race — a contest
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. vault — a safe
  7. face — part of the head
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. race — humankind
  10. snap — to click
  11. face — to point toward
  12. row — a line
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. court — of a king
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. court — for sport
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. row — to paddle
  20. sharp — clever
  21. race — the arms race
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. court — of law
  24. hide — to keep secret

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