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: rock · face · cell · bulb · mate · mine · ground · file

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. file — a tool
  4. rock — a stone
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bulb — for light
  7. file — a document
  8. bulb — for light
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — in biology
  11. ground — the earth
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. ground — crushed
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — a friend
  16. face — part of the head
  17. file — a line of people
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. cell — a phone
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. face — to point toward
  23. rock — music
  24. ground — a position

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