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: object · face · cabinet · sharp · ball · kid · shower · spring

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. face — to point toward
  3. spring — a coil
  4. kid — child
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. spring — of water
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. object — a thing
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a great time
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — an aim
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. spring — the season
  18. face — to confront
  19. shower — rain
  20. sharp — clever
  21. shower — to wash
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. face — part of the head
  24. sharp — exactly

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