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 120 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: face · fork · arm · hide · pit · content · capital · stem

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fork — in a road
  3. pit — in a race
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. pit — a hole
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. stem — to come from
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. capital — money
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. face — to confront
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. face — to point toward
  19. content — the amount
  20. face — part of the head
  21. capital — a city
  22. content — happy
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. arm — a part of something

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