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: rule · trunk · sharp · hide · bat · spring · pitch · face

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. face — to confront
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. sharp — clever
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. rule — government
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bat — the animal
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. pitch — completely
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. spring — of water
  22. face — part of the head
  23. rule — a law
  24. hide — to keep secret

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