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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · face · scale · wind · tear · cabinet

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. tear — to rip
  7. wind — moving air
  8. scale — in music
  9. face — to confront
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. tear — from crying
  12. face — part of the head
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. tear — from crying
  15. face — to point toward
  16. scale — size or range
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bowl — to roll

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