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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. rash — a series
  3. pit — a hole
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. net — in sport
  8. fine — all right
  9. last — final
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. net — for catching
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bat — the animal
  16. last — finally
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. rash — hasty
  20. pass — a permit
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pit — in a race
  24. net — after costs

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