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: key · last · temple · date · cue · chest · content · spell

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. spell — magic
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. content — happy
  5. key — the most important part
  6. last — final
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. spell — letters
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. cue — for pool
  11. key — in music
  12. chest — a box
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. content — the amount
  15. key — for a lock
  16. spell — a short time
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. date — the fruit
  19. chest — of your body
  20. cue — a hint
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. chest — of your body
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — finally

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