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: cap · spell · mate · deal · lean · tear · calf · bark

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. tear — from crying
  3. spell — letters
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mate — a partner
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. cap — of ice
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. lean — to bend
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cap — a lid
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bark — to shout
  15. mate — to breed
  16. lean — thin
  17. tear — from crying
  18. deal — to handle
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — magic
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. mate — a friend
  24. deal — a big deal

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