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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. prune — to trim
  3. saw — the tool
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bat — the animal
  6. deal — to handle
  7. track — a song
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. last — to go on
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. date — the fruit
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. track — a path
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. track — to keep track
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. last — finally

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