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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. band — a ring
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. sharp — clever
  13. band — a music group
  14. date — the fruit
  15. mark — a grade
  16. file — a document
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. file — a line of people
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mark — a trace
  22. wound — an injury
  23. file — a tool
  24. pitch — completely

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