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: cold · sharp · rock · perch · calf · deal · face · rest

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — clever
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — not warm
  7. face — to point toward
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. rock — music
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rest — what's left
  13. face — part of the head
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. face — to confront
  18. rest — a break
  19. deal — to handle
  20. rest — what's left
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. cold — an illness

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