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: rule · stem · bore · race · game · sharp · face · ball

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. face — to confront
  3. ball — a great time
  4. sharp — clever
  5. game — wild animals
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bore — to drill
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. face — part of the head
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. race — humankind
  12. rule — government
  13. game — a match
  14. rule — a law
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bore — to tire
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. stem — to come from
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — the arms race
  24. stem — a stem cell

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