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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. wind — moving air
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. wind — moving air
  11. tube — a container
  12. present — a gift
  13. cold — not warm
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — to rob
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. mug — a face
  18. tube — the underground
  19. cold — an illness
  20. present — the time now
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. present — there
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. season — to add flavour

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