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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. present — there
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. pass — a permit
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. firm — decided
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. present — a gift
  15. date — the fruit
  16. present — the time now
  17. firm — a company
  18. season — of the year
  19. kid — to tease
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. firm — steady
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. season — in sport
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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