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: perch · rash · cap · pit · chest · face

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. face — to point toward
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cap — a lid
  5. perch — the fish
  6. chest — of your body
  7. face — part of the head
  8. cap — of ice
  9. pit — a hole
  10. rash — a series
  11. chest — of your body
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. chest — a box
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — hasty
  17. pit — in a race
  18. face — to confront

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