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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. fine — all right
  4. season — of the year
  5. pitch — completely
  6. last — to go on
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. deal — to handle
  10. fine — high quality
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. last — finally
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. last — final
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. trunk — of an elephant

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