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: kick · cell · deal · trunk · bore · spell · perch · roll

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. spell — letters
  3. bore — to tire
  4. kick — in football
  5. spell — a short time
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. bore — to drill
  10. spell — magic
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. perch — the fish
  14. cell — in biology
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. roll — a list
  17. cell — a phone
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. roll — a cake
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. deal — to handle
  24. trunk — of a tree

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