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: pit · wound · saw · game · temple · pitcher · clip · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. clip — to cut
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. clip — for paper
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a match
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. saw — the tool
  14. face — part of the head
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. face — to confront
  18. pit — a hole
  19. clip — a video
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pit — in a race
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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