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: face · fine · cell · mate · tube · pitch · court · plane

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. tube — the underground
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — to breed
  5. court — of a king
  6. fine — high quality
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. cell — a phone
  10. face — to point toward
  11. tube — a container
  12. fine — all right
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to confront
  15. mate — a friend
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. court — for sport
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. court — of law
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — a tool

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