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: face · mine · dip · swing · craft · racket · game · present

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. present — a gift
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. game — a match
  6. face — part of the head
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mine — for digging
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — there
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. craft — boats
  17. face — to point toward
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — music
  20. craft — a skill
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. swing — to play on
  23. dip — to sink
  24. mine — an explosive

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