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: tear · pass · bass · date · wake · pitcher · club · lean

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bass — low music
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — the fruit
  7. lean — thin
  8. club — for golf
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. club — a group
  14. lean — to bend
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. club — for dancing
  19. wake — a trail
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. bass — the fish
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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