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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. face — to point toward
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. firm — steady
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. firm — a company
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. face — part of the head
  11. firm — decided
  12. root — of a plant
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. rash — a series
  15. chair — a leader
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. root — of a word
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. face — to confront
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. root — the cause
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. sharp — clever

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