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: ball · leaves · kick · fan · coach · cell · face · present

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. face — to confront
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. face — to point toward
  8. present — a gift
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. ball — a great time
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. kick — in football
  14. cell — in biology
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. face — part of the head
  20. present — the time now
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. cell — a phone
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. present — there

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