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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bound — obliged
  5. land — a country
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. land — ground
  8. file — a tool
  9. suit — to fit
  10. suit — in cards
  11. land — to come down
  12. file — a line of people
  13. fork — in a road
  14. craft — boats
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. suit — clothes
  20. file — a document
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. craft — a skill

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