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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bass — low music
  4. pound — a weight
  5. date — the fruit
  6. key — for a lock
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. track — to keep track
  10. toast — bread
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — in music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — the fish
  16. present — there
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — a gift
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. track — a path
  22. track — a song
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — a tool

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