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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. face — to confront
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mine — for digging
  5. court — for sport
  6. march — music
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. march — the month
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wind — moving air
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. court — of law
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — low music
  22. march — the month
  23. court — of a king
  24. mine — an explosive

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