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: march · cell · mine · date · spring · content · mark · bore

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a trace
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — the season
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bore — to drill
  10. march — music
  11. cell — a phone
  12. march — the month
  13. content — the amount
  14. march — the month
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bore — to tire
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. cell — in biology
  20. spring — of water
  21. content — happy
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mine — for digging

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