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 116 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. land — a country
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. land — ground
  5. march — music
  6. land — to come down
  7. bear — the animal
  8. net — after costs
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. sharp — clever
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. rock — a stone
  14. net — in sport
  15. pass — a permit
  16. field — a subject
  17. net — for catching
  18. march — the month
  19. rock — music
  20. field — farmland
  21. march — the month
  22. field — for sport
  23. bear — the animal
  24. sharp — with an edge

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