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: wound · club · date · last · lean · fork · key · row

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — a group
  4. date — the fruit
  5. key — in music
  6. key — the most important part
  7. lean — thin
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — to paddle
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — to bend
  13. last — final
  14. key — for a lock
  15. wound — an injury
  16. club — for golf
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. row — a line
  19. fork — in a road
  20. wound — an injury
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — finally
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. date — on the calendar

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