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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. last — final
  3. season — in sport
  4. pit — in a race
  5. season — of the year
  6. last — to go on
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. last — finally
  9. pop — music
  10. spring — of water
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. spring — a coil
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. spring — the season
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. pop — to visit
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. toast — bread
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. pit — a hole

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