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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. chair — a leader
  3. tube — a container
  4. march — the month
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. prune — to trim
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. tube — the underground
  11. march — the month
  12. face — to point toward
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. face — to confront
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. prune — to trim
  19. march — music
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. date — the fruit
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. face — part of the head
  24. mouse — for a computer

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