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: rock · face · rest · game · object · mine · cell · scale

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. face — to confront
  4. rock — music
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. cell — in biology
  7. rest — what's left
  8. scale — size or range
  9. cell — a phone
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. mine — for digging
  13. game — wild animals
  14. scale — in music
  15. object — to protest
  16. face — part of the head
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. face — to point toward
  19. object — a thing
  20. game — a match
  21. object — an aim
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. rock — a stone

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