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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. hand — help
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. prune — to trim
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. last — final
  10. mark — a grade
  11. last — finally
  12. mark — a trace
  13. prune — to trim
  14. last — to go on
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. shower — to wash
  17. hand — in cards
  18. date — the fruit
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. shower — rain
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. coach — a trainer

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