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: leaves · mate · cabinet · straw · temple · face · court · row

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. face — to point toward
  3. mate — a friend
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. face — to confront
  8. court — for sport
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. mate — to breed
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. face — part of the head
  21. row — a line
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. row — to paddle

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