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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. face — to point toward
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. hand — help
  5. mine — for digging
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. cell — a phone
  10. rest — what's left
  11. mark — a trace
  12. rest — a break
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. mark — a grade
  16. hand — in cards
  17. ball — a dance
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rest — what's left
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bear — the animal
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. face — to confront

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