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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — the fruit
  4. pit — a hole
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. last — to go on
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. cold — not warm
  10. band — a music group
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. band — a ring
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. last — final
  18. last — finally
  19. cold — an illness
  20. pit — in a race
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — before a funeral

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