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 · cold · ruler · bark · deal · capital · shower · race

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. face — to confront
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — to wash
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — money
  10. race — the arms race
  11. deal — to handle
  12. race — a contest
  13. face — to point toward
  14. race — humankind
  15. cold — not warm
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bark — to shout
  18. capital — a city
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — an illness
  23. shower — rain
  24. ruler — a monarch

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