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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  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. land — a country
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. cold — an illness
  4. drill — a practice
  5. foot — a measure
  6. land — ground
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — the tool
  9. cold — not warm
  10. march — the month
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. season — of the year
  13. march — the month
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. land — to come down
  16. track — to keep track
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. lie — to recline
  20. march — music
  21. track — a path
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. season — in sport
  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