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: deal · march · lash · mine · fine · ground · date · fork

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. fine — all right
  5. ground — crushed
  6. march — the month
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. mine — for digging
  9. ground — the earth
  10. date — the fruit
  11. fine — high quality
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. march — the month
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. deal — to handle
  19. fork — in a road
  20. march — music
  21. ground — a position
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. lash — an eyelash

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