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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. shower — to wash
  3. court — of law
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — for sport
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. date — the fruit
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. wind — moving air
  16. net — after costs
  17. board — to get on
  18. shower — rain
  19. net — in sport
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. board — a committee
  24. net — for catching

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