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: wound · cold · march · pitch · rock · face · hand · safe

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. face — to confront
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. rock — a stone
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. face — part of the head
  8. pitch — completely
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — an illness
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. hand — in cards
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. face — to point toward
  15. wound — an injury
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. march — music
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. march — the month
  22. rock — music
  23. wound — an injury
  24. march — the month

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