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 120 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 · plane · kid · lie · cue · racket · clip · race

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  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. racket — a loud noise
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. kid — to tease
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to point toward
  7. lie — to recline
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. cue — a signal
  10. race — humankind
  11. plane — a tool
  12. kid — child
  13. race — a contest
  14. cue — a hint
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — for paper
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. clip — to cut
  20. cue — for pool
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. race — the arms race
  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