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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — not warm
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — to point toward
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. key — in music
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. face — part of the head
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — a weight
  14. game — a match
  15. cold — an illness
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — in football
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — for a lock
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. leaves — of a tree

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