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: wound · band · deal · pass · face · pitcher · calf · kid

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. band — a music group
  6. kid — to tease
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. wound — an injury
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. face — part of the head
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. face — to point toward
  13. pass — a permit
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. kid — child
  17. deal — to handle
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. band — a ring
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pass — to spend time

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