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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. face — to point toward
  3. tube — the underground
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. face — to confront
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. can — a tin
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. perch — the fish
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. snap — to click
  16. branch — a division
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bat — the animal
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. can — a tin
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. face — part of the head
  24. can — to be able to

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