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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cap — a lid
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. cold — an illness
  5. staff — employees
  6. date — the fruit
  7. cold — not warm
  8. plane — a tool
  9. staff — employees
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cap — of ice
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. dip — to sink
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. cap — a hat
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. staff — a stick
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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