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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. rush — hurry
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. face — to confront
  6. perch — the fish
  7. mark — a trace
  8. face — part of the head
  9. chest — a box
  10. degree — from a university
  11. deal — to handle
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. stand — to bear
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. face — to point toward
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. degree — temperature
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. degree — an amount
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. perch — for a bird

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