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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. date — the fruit
  3. wind — moving air
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bear — the animal
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. toast — bread
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. saw — the tool
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a ring
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bear — the animal
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. ball — a dance
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. date — on the calendar

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