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 are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. prune — to trim
  3. lie — to recline
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. march — the month
  6. bound — tied together
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bound — certain
  9. shower — to wash
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. date — the fruit
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. march — music
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. prune — to trim
  17. squash — to crush
  18. squash — the sport
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. march — the month
  22. shower — rain
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chair — a leader

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