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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. degree — from a university
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. degree — temperature
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. hand — in cards
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. hand — help
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. spell — a short time
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — magic
  19. degree — an amount
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. fork — in a road
  24. jam — in traffic

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