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 · bore · rash · trunk · face · court · stick · season

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bore — to tire
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. bore — to drill
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. perch — the fish
  10. season — in sport
  11. face — to confront
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to point toward
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — a series
  17. court — for sport
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. court — of a king
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. season — of the year

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