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: temple · chest · perch · date · scale · mine · toast · tear

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. tear — from crying
  3. date — the fruit
  4. chest — a box
  5. tear — from crying
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. toast — bread
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. tear — to rip
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. perch — the fish
  19. chest — of your body
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. temple — a place of worship

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