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: cap · spring · field · ruler · face · deal · hand · stock

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. hand — in cards
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — for sport
  6. stock — goods
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. stock — shares
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. deal — to handle
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — of water
  13. hand — help
  14. cap — a lid
  15. face — part of the head
  16. field — a subject
  17. spring — a coil
  18. face — to point toward
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. cap — a hat
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cap — of ice

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