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 116 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: chair · march · firm · face · rock · saw · land · cap

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. march — the month
  3. land — a country
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. firm — steady
  6. rock — a stone
  7. cap — a lid
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. face — to point toward
  10. march — the month
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. march — music
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. land — ground
  15. saw — the tool
  16. land — to come down
  17. firm — decided
  18. saw — the tool
  19. chair — a leader
  20. rock — music
  21. cap — of ice
  22. face — part of the head
  23. firm — a company
  24. cap — a hat

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