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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. key — for a lock
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. rash — a series
  10. degree — from a university
  11. spell — letters
  12. degree — temperature
  13. rash — hasty
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. key — the most important part
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. spell — magic
  18. key — in music
  19. capital — money
  20. date — the fruit
  21. capital — a city
  22. spell — a short time
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. degree — an amount

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