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: date · season · race · fork · current · wound · bay · tube

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. race — the arms race
  3. current — electric
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. date — the fruit
  10. race — humankind
  11. current — happening now
  12. season — in sport
  13. current — of water
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. fork — in a road
  16. wound — an injury
  17. season — of the year
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. tube — a container
  20. race — a contest
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. tube — the underground

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