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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. content — happy
  3. land — a country
  4. hand — help
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. content — the amount
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. land — ground
  10. board — to get on
  11. pitch — completely
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. track — a path
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. board — a committee
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. track — to keep track
  18. plane — a tool
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. land — to come down
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. hand — in cards
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. track — a song

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