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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. mate — a friend
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. march — music
  5. fall — to drop
  6. shower — to wash
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bear — the animal
  9. last — finally
  10. last — final
  11. march — the month
  12. last — to go on
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bear — the animal
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. date — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mate — a partner
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — rain
  24. march — the month

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