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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. capital — money
  5. date — the fruit
  6. kid — child
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — for a lock
  10. kid — to tease
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. last — final
  16. capital — a city
  17. last — finally
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. key — in music
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. capital — a big letter

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