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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. branch — a division
  4. game — wild animals
  5. track — a song
  6. net — for catching
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. mark — a trace
  12. last — final
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. net — after costs
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. last — finally
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. net — in sport
  20. track — to keep track
  21. mark — a grade
  22. game — a match
  23. track — a path
  24. last — to go on

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