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 120 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: tear · track · mug · press · land · row · patient · face

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — to paddle
  3. mug — a cup
  4. land — a country
  5. mug — to rob
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. face — to point toward
  8. land — to come down
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. track — a song
  12. track — to keep track
  13. tear — from crying
  14. face — to confront
  15. tear — to rip
  16. track — a path
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. mug — a face
  19. tear — from crying
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — to push
  22. press — a publisher
  23. face — part of the head
  24. land — ground

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