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: arm · bound · perch · field · ball · face · lie · court

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. field — for sport
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. field — a subject
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — tied together
  7. lie — to recline
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. face — to confront
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of law
  12. face — to point toward
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. field — farmland
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. face — part of the head
  20. ball — a dance
  21. bound — certain
  22. court — of a king
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. perch — the fish

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