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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. march — the month
  3. chest — a box
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. chest — of your body
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — of the year
  8. march — the month
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. key — the most important part
  11. spring — of water
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pit — in a race
  14. spring — the season
  15. march — music
  16. sharp — clever
  17. fine — high quality
  18. key — for a lock
  19. fine — all right
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. key — in music
  22. spring — a coil
  23. season — in sport
  24. sharp — with an edge

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