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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. face — part of the head
  3. content — happy
  4. mug — a face
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wind — moving air
  10. kid — to tease
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. kid — child
  13. mug — to rob
  14. capital — a city
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. face — to confront
  18. perch — the fish
  19. deal — to handle
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mug — a cup
  22. face — to point toward
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. capital — money

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