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

Word bank: wound · kick · bear · coach · sharp · present · cold · perch

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bear — the animal
  4. wound — an injury
  5. kick — in football
  6. perch — the fish
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. cold — not warm
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. present — a gift
  13. bear — the animal
  14. present — there
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. present — the time now
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wound — an injury
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bear — to put up with

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