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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bank — of a river
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. last — to go on
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. key — in music
  8. roll — a cake
  9. date — the fruit
  10. key — the most important part
  11. content — the amount
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — for money
  15. content — happy
  16. last — final
  17. key — for a lock
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. snap — to click
  20. last — finally
  21. wind — moving air
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. roll — a list
  24. wind — moving air

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