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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. rash — hasty
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. date — the fruit
  6. rash — a series
  7. fine — all right
  8. vault — a safe
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. ball — a dance
  14. last — final
  15. capital — a city
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. capital — money
  19. last — to go on
  20. fine — high quality
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. last — finally

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