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 · rush · shower · wind · fall · cell · march · cabinet

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fall — the season
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. face — part of the head
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — to wash
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. shower — rain
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. fall — to drop
  13. face — to confront
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — hurry
  18. march — music
  19. face — to point toward
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. cell — a phone
  22. wind — moving air
  23. march — the month
  24. wind — to turn a key

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