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: game · drill · mate · perch · face · rush · dip · roll

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. game — wild animals
  3. face — part of the head
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — hurry
  6. mate — a friend
  7. drill — the tool
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. mate — to breed
  12. dip — to sink
  13. game — a match
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. drill — army training
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. roll — a list
  18. perch — the fish
  19. roll — a cake
  20. drill — a practice
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — to point toward
  24. game — a kind of play

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