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 valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. object — to protest
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. object — an aim
  8. ball — a great time
  9. capital — a city
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. date — the fruit
  12. branch — a division
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. clip — a video
  15. capital — money
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. ball — a dance
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. clip — for paper
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. clip — to cut
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mine — for digging
  24. branch — of a bank

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