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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. face — to confront
  4. clip — for paper
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. face — to point toward
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. roll — a cake
  10. mark — a grade
  11. clip — a video
  12. roll — a list
  13. land — a country
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. mark — a trace
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. face — part of the head
  19. land — to come down
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. clip — to cut
  22. land — ground
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. wave — of the sea

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