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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. spring — of water
  5. can — a tin
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. drill — the tool
  8. spring — a coil
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. can — to be able to
  11. spell — magic
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. degree — temperature
  14. spell — a short time
  15. drill — a practice
  16. degree — from a university
  17. spring — the season
  18. degree — an amount
  19. can — a tin
  20. spell — letters
  21. drill — army training
  22. fork — in a road
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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