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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bass — low music
  6. land — to come down
  7. spell — magic
  8. shower — rain
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bass — the fish
  15. spell — a short time
  16. land — ground
  17. stock — goods
  18. spell — letters
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. land — a country
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. face — to confront

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