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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bear — the animal
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. date — the fruit
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. date — on the calendar

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