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: face · object · ball · lean · cell · ground · cabinet · capital

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. ball — a great time
  3. capital — a city
  4. face — part of the head
  5. ground — the earth
  6. object — to protest
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ground — a position
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. object — a thing
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — to bend
  15. ball — a dance
  16. capital — money
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. ground — crushed
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. face — to point toward
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. lean — thin
  23. object — an aim
  24. cell — in biology

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