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: bound · last · bear · mine · cell · face · pitcher · mark

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mark — a trace
  3. face — to point toward
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. last — finally
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. last — final
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. face — to confront
  12. bound — tied together
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. last — to go on
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bound — certain
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bound — obliged
  21. face — part of the head
  22. mine — for digging
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bear — to put up with

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