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: calf · pitcher · scale · band · face · cold · pit · date

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. band — a ring
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. face — to confront
  5. cold — an illness
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. band — a music group
  9. face — part of the head
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. pit — in a race
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. face — to point toward
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — size or range
  24. band — a rubber band

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