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: toast · temple · rush · date · capital · drill · ground · racket

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. rush — hurry
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. toast — bread
  5. ground — the earth
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. capital — money
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. date — the fruit
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. drill — a practice
  16. ground — a position
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. capital — a city
  20. drill — army training
  21. ground — crushed
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. temple — side of the head

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