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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. present — there
  4. present — the time now
  5. season — in sport
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. club — a group
  8. club — for dancing
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — high quality
  11. season — of the year
  12. perch — the fish
  13. present — a gift
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. club — for golf
  18. pop — music
  19. last — final
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — soda
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — in a tire

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