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 · face · bark · chest · row · stick · capital · hand

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. face — to point toward
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. face — part of the head
  5. mark — a grade
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. row — a line
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. hand — in cards
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. capital — money
  15. chest — a box
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. row — to paddle
  18. mark — a trace
  19. capital — a city
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. face — to confront
  23. hand — help
  24. bark — to shout

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