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 116 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: hand · rush · lie · mate · face · perch · chair · spell

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rush — hurry
  3. face — to confront
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — in cards
  8. lie — to recline
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mate — a friend
  12. spell — a short time
  13. face — to point toward
  14. mate — to breed
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. chair — a leader
  17. face — part of the head
  18. mate — a partner
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. spell — magic
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. spell — letters
  23. perch — the fish
  24. rush — a thrill

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