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: race · mate · bay · toast · nail · bat · rash · date

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. mate — to breed
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. race — a contest
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. race — the arms race
  11. rash — a series
  12. race — humankind
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. mate — a partner
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — the animal
  22. date — the fruit
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. toast — bread

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