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: pound · capital · cell · face · ball · mark · staff · trunk

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. face — to confront
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. face — part of the head
  6. capital — money
  7. mark — a grade
  8. cell — in biology
  9. mark — a trace
  10. staff — employees
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. ball — a dance
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. staff — employees
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. cell — a phone
  19. pound — a weight
  20. staff — a stick
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. capital — a city
  24. ball — a great time

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