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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — to sink
  3. date — the fruit
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. last — final
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a partner
  8. last — finally
  9. last — to go on
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. spell — letters
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. spell — a short time
  19. mate — a friend
  20. rest — a break
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rush — hurry
  23. spell — magic
  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