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: bore · face · perch · season · row · stand · bat · net

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. bat — the animal
  3. net — in sport
  4. season — in sport
  5. bore — to tire
  6. face — to confront
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bore — to drill
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. season — of the year
  14. row — to paddle
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — after costs
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. row — a line
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. face — to point toward
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. face — part of the head
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. row — a quarrel

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