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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. land — to come down
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. march — music
  6. bass — low music
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. land — a country
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bat — the animal
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wake — a trail
  19. date — the fruit
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. land — ground
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bass — the fish

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