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: mark · saw · calf · face · cold · chair · bowl · ground

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — a position
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cold — not warm
  7. chair — a leader
  8. mark — a grade
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. face — to point toward
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. cold — an illness
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. face — part of the head
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. ground — the earth
  22. face — to confront
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — to pay attention

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