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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. spring — the season
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pass — a permit
  8. roll — a cake
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. spring — of water
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. date — the fruit
  15. spring — a coil
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. roll — a list
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. mine — for digging

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