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: pitch · face · craft · mouse · court · wake · file · land

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  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. craft — boats
  2. face — to confront
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. land — a country
  5. file — a tool
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. face — part of the head
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. file — a line of people
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. face — to point toward
  13. wake — a trail
  14. court — of a king
  15. pitch — completely
  16. file — a document
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. craft — a skill
  20. court — for sport
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. court — of law
  23. land — to come down
  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