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: fall · march · straw · date · fork · rush · saw · fine

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fall — the season
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. march — music
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. fine — high quality
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. fork — in a road
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rush — hurry
  13. date — the fruit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fine — all right
  20. fall — to drop
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. march — the month

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