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: wake · rock · suit · face · saw · cold · hand · pitch

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. suit — clothes
  3. cold — not warm
  4. pitch — completely
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. saw — the tool
  8. hand — in cards
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. face — part of the head
  13. wake — a trail
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — a stone
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. face — to point toward
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. cold — an illness
  21. hand — help
  22. suit — to fit
  23. suit — in cards
  24. cold — the Cold War

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