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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. net — for catching
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. season — in sport
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. vault — a safe
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. net — after costs
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — an amount
  15. season — of the year
  16. last — finally
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. date — the fruit
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. net — in sport
  23. last — final
  24. degree — from a university

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