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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. staff — employees
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. staff — a stick
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. press — to push
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. date — the fruit
  11. press — newspapers
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. rash — hasty
  14. fork — in a road
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. craft — a skill
  17. squash — to crush
  18. land — a country
  19. staff — employees
  20. rash — a series
  21. craft — boats
  22. press — a publisher
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — ground

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