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: last · drill · spell · cue · face · rush · wound · ground

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. rush — hurry
  3. last — to go on
  4. cue — a hint
  5. drill — the tool
  6. ground — the earth
  7. drill — a practice
  8. ground — crushed
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — a short time
  12. drill — army training
  13. face — to point toward
  14. cue — for pool
  15. spell — letters
  16. last — final
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. face — part of the head
  21. ground — a position
  22. cue — a signal
  23. last — finally
  24. rush — to hurry

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