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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. degree — an amount
  5. pitch — completely
  6. land — to come down
  7. net — for catching
  8. degree — temperature
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. deal — to handle
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. net — after costs
  13. spell — magic
  14. last — finally
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. spell — letters
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. land — ground
  20. spell — a short time
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. net — in sport
  23. land — a country
  24. degree — from a university

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