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: saw · spell · race · wake · last · root · bark · face

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. race — humankind
  3. last — finally
  4. face — to confront
  5. spell — magic
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. root — of a plant
  9. race — a contest
  10. spell — letters
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. face — to point toward
  15. spell — a short time
  16. wake — a trail
  17. root — of a word
  18. bark — to shout
  19. last — final
  20. root — the cause
  21. last — to go on
  22. race — the arms race
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — before a funeral

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