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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fork · march · cell · pitch · degree · date

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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. cell — in a prison
  5. march — the month
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. pitch — completely
  13. degree — temperature
  14. cell — in biology
  15. fork — in a road
  16. degree — an amount
  17. cell — a phone
  18. pitch — a sales talk

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