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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. last — finally
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. track — a song
  6. last — final
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. last — to go on
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pit — in a race
  11. track — to keep track
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. track — a path
  18. content — happy
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. content — the amount
  24. bowl — a football final

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