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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. shower — to wash
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. last — finally
  8. rash — hasty
  9. last — to go on
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. date — the fruit
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. present — a gift
  16. last — final
  17. rash — a series
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. shower — rain
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — there
  24. rash — on the skin

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