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

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. spell — magic
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. field — farmland
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. squash — the sport
  10. rock — music
  11. field — for sport
  12. rock — a stone
  13. pit — in a race
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. field — a subject
  16. land — a country
  17. land — ground
  18. squash — to crush
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. dip — to sink
  21. spell — a short time
  22. land — to come down
  23. spell — letters
  24. pit — a hole

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