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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. shower — rain
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — tied together
  6. drill — army training
  7. shower — to wash
  8. march — the month
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. capital — a city
  11. drill — the tool
  12. march — music
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. march — the month
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bound — obliged
  19. capital — money
  20. stock — shares
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. stock — goods

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