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: rest · perch · last · fan · face · content · spell · club

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. rest — a break
  3. spell — magic
  4. face — to confront
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. club — for golf
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. last — finally
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. last — to go on
  12. content — happy
  13. perch — the fish
  14. rest — what's left
  15. content — the amount
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — part of the head
  18. spell — a short time
  19. club — for dancing
  20. last — final
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. spell — letters

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