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: land · arm · coach · straw · ruler · face · mate · cold

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  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 — part of the head
  2. cold — an illness
  3. mate — a friend
  4. face — to point toward
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. land — to come down
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. land — ground
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. land — a country
  12. mate — a partner
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. mate — to breed
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. arm — part of the body
  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