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: object · pop · toast · face · tear · saw · land · shower

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. object — a thing
  3. pop — to visit
  4. face — part of the head
  5. pop — music
  6. object — to protest
  7. shower — rain
  8. saw — the tool
  9. tear — from crying
  10. face — to confront
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. saw — the tool
  14. object — an aim
  15. toast — bread
  16. land — ground
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. land — to come down
  19. tear — to rip
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. pop — soda
  22. tear — from crying
  23. shower — to wash
  24. land — a country

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