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: suit · sharp · lean · court · tube · cold · bear · face

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. suit — clothes
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — thin
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. face — to confront
  9. tube — a container
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. face — part of the head
  13. cold — not warm
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bear — the animal
  16. suit — in cards
  17. bear — the animal
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. court — of law
  20. suit — to fit
  21. cold — an illness
  22. tube — the underground
  23. court — of a king
  24. sharp — clever

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