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: cell · wind · face · stand · charge · kick · hand · race

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. hand — help
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — a phone
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. face — to confront
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. charge — a price
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — humankind
  13. charge — in control
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. wind — moving air
  16. race — the arms race
  17. cell — in biology
  18. kick — in football
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. face — to point toward
  21. stand — to bear
  22. hand — in cards
  23. face — part of the head
  24. wind — moving air

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