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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. object — to protest
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. bank — for money
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. object — a thing
  10. bank — for money
  11. capital — money
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. rock — a stone
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bark — to shout
  18. roll — a cake
  19. roll — a list
  20. capital — a city
  21. date — the fruit
  22. mate — to breed
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. object — an aim

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