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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. kick — in football
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. cold — an illness
  5. roll — a list
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. tube — a container
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. tube — the underground
  10. capital — money
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. cold — not warm
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — of the year
  16. date — the fruit
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. roll — a cake
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. capital — a city
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. capital — a big letter

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