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: face · rest · clip · scale · key · coach · pitcher · hand

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. clip — a video
  4. key — the most important part
  5. face — part of the head
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. hand — in cards
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. key — in music
  11. clip — for paper
  12. scale — size or range
  13. key — for a lock
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. scale — in music
  16. clip — to cut
  17. rest — a break
  18. face — to confront
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — help
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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