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: bowl · date · cold · bound · spell · rash · pitch · branch

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. bound — obliged
  3. cold — not warm
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bound — tied together
  9. spell — letters
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bound — certain
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. branch — a division
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. cold — an illness
  20. spell — magic
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. rash — hasty
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. spell — a short time

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