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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — the season
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. face — to point toward
  6. cue — a signal
  7. spring — a coil
  8. cue — for pool
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — a gift
  11. chest — of your body
  12. key — in music
  13. bat — the animal
  14. cue — a hint
  15. key — the most important part
  16. face — to confront
  17. chest — of your body
  18. key — for a lock
  19. face — part of the head
  20. present — there
  21. date — the fruit
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. chest — a box
  24. date — on the calendar

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