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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. drill — army training
  3. can — a tin
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. last — final
  6. pitch — completely
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — ground
  9. last — to go on
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. field — farmland
  13. hand — help
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. last — finally
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. field — a subject
  18. drill — a practice
  19. field — for sport
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. drill — the tool
  23. hand — in cards
  24. snap — to click

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