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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — a series
  4. land — ground
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. land — a country
  7. cue — a signal
  8. file — a tool
  9. cue — for pool
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. spell — letters
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. file — a document
  14. land — to come down
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. spell — magic
  18. file — a line of people
  19. vault — a safe
  20. rash — hasty
  21. date — the fruit
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. spell — a short time

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