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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — a line
  3. row — to paddle
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. cap — a hat
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. key — in music
  11. cap — a lid
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. key — for a lock
  15. deal — to handle
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. cap — of ice
  18. ball — a dance
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. ball — a great time
  21. key — the most important part
  22. date — the fruit
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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