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 116 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: mark · coach · wind · fall · safe · degree · row · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. row — a line
  4. mark — a grade
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. degree — from a university
  7. wind — moving air
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. fall — to drop
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. face — to confront
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. degree — temperature
  16. mark — a trace
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. fall — the season
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. row — to paddle
  21. face — part of the head
  22. degree — an amount
  23. fall — to drop
  24. wind — moving air

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