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 make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. face — part of the head
  3. drill — the tool
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. net — in sport
  7. key — in music
  8. face — to point toward
  9. key — for a lock
  10. kick — in football
  11. cold — an illness
  12. drill — army training
  13. net — for catching
  14. face — to confront
  15. key — the most important part
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. net — after costs
  19. cold — not warm
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — hurry
  22. drill — a practice
  23. deal — to handle
  24. rush — to hurry

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