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: land · content · perch · swing · date · fine · bay · cabinet

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. fine — high quality
  4. swing — to play on
  5. content — happy
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. swing — in golf
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. content — the amount
  12. swing — music
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. fine — all right
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. land — to come down
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. date — the fruit
  19. perch — the fish
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. land — a country
  24. cabinet — ministers

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