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: face · mine · march · squash · fork · rash · key · calf

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. face — to confront
  3. mine — for digging
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. rash — hasty
  6. march — the month
  7. face — part of the head
  8. march — music
  9. squash — the sport
  10. key — the most important part
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. key — for a lock
  13. fork — in a road
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. squash — to crush
  18. rash — a series
  19. face — to point toward
  20. key — in music
  21. march — the month
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. squash — the vegetable

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