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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. can — to be able to
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. fall — to drop
  6. march — the month
  7. fall — the season
  8. march — the month
  9. rock — music
  10. fall — to drop
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. net — after costs
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. net — in sport
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. can — a tin
  18. sharp — clever
  19. march — music
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — the fruit
  22. can — a tin
  23. net — for catching
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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