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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. degree — an amount
  3. last — finally
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. cue — for pool
  8. deal — to handle
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. cue — a hint
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — final
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. club — for dancing
  15. club — for golf
  16. bound — tied together
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. degree — from a university
  19. club — a group
  20. cue — a signal
  21. degree — temperature
  22. perch — the fish
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — certain

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