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 116 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 had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to confront
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — a hole
  6. prune — to trim
  7. saw — the tool
  8. spell — letters
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. pit — in a race
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. spell — magic
  16. face — to point toward
  17. rush — hurry
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. spell — a short time
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. prune — the fruit

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