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: season · chest · rock · chip · field · cabinet · file · face

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — a stone
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. chest — of your body
  7. face — to confront
  8. field — for sport
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. file — a document
  11. rock — music
  12. chest — of your body
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. chip — to eat
  16. face — to point toward
  17. file — a tool
  18. field — a subject
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. file — a line of people
  22. chest — a box
  23. field — farmland
  24. chip — for betting

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