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 124 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: mate · foot · perch · saw · rash · temple · scale · kid

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mate — a partner
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. mate — a friend
  9. kid — child
  10. mate — to breed
  11. kid — to tease
  12. rash — a series
  13. saw — the tool
  14. scale — size or range
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. scale — in music
  21. saw — the tool
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. foot — a measure

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