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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. last — finally
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. last — to go on
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. cold — an illness
  12. bat — the animal
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. cold — not warm
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wax — to grow
  17. kid — child
  18. craft — a skill
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. kid — to tease
  22. last — final
  23. toast — bread
  24. craft — boats

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