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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. spring — of water
  5. last — to go on
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. date — the fruit
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. spring — a coil
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bark — to shout
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. wind — moving air
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. spring — the season
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wind — moving air
  23. last — final
  24. last — finally

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