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: face · bore · perch · race · hide · deal · wound · bat

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. face — to confront
  5. race — humankind
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to point toward
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bore — to tire
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bore — to drill
  14. wound — an injury
  15. perch — the fish
  16. deal — to handle
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bat — the animal

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