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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — rain
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. kid — child
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. kid — to tease
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. capital — money
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. date — the fruit
  14. dip — to sink
  15. shower — to wash
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. capital — a city
  21. branch — a division
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. date — on the calendar

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