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: fan · squash · cold · date · temple · last · nail · deal

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. last — to go on
  3. cold — not warm
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. cold — an illness
  6. date — the fruit
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. last — final
  19. squash — to crush
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. last — finally
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fan — a supporter

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