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: cold · mark · fine · date · temple · rush · current · leaves

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. mark — a grade
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. fine — all right
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. current — happening now
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. cold — not warm
  16. current — electric
  17. current — of water
  18. mark — a trace
  19. date — the fruit
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. cold — an illness
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. leaves — lets stay
  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