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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. last — final
  4. stand — to bear
  5. net — for catching
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — part of the head
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. net — after costs
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. wake — a trail
  15. net — in sport
  16. date — the fruit
  17. ground — the earth
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. ground — a position
  20. last — to go on
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. last — finally
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. face — to confront

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