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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. land — a country
  4. firm — a company
  5. mark — a trace
  6. land — to come down
  7. content — the amount
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pit — a hole
  13. content — happy
  14. mark — a grade
  15. land — ground
  16. firm — decided
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. last — final
  19. firm — steady
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. leaves — to go away

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