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: scale · face · last · band · fan · wake · plane · clip

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. scale — size or range
  3. band — a music group
  4. face — part of the head
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. last — final
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. last — to go on
  9. plane — a tool
  10. band — a ring
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. clip — a video
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. clip — to cut
  17. wake — a trail
  18. clip — for paper
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. scale — in music
  22. face — to confront
  23. last — finally
  24. wake — before a funeral

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