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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. face — to confront
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. drill — a practice
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. mate — a friend
  9. pit — in a race
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. drill — the tool
  13. season — in sport
  14. face — to point toward
  15. stock — goods
  16. face — part of the head
  17. drill — army training
  18. pit — a hole
  19. season — of the year
  20. mate — a partner
  21. stock — shares
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. date — the fruit

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