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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. drill — army training
  3. lean — thin
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. net — after costs
  7. land — ground
  8. content — happy
  9. season — in sport
  10. land — to come down
  11. drill — a practice
  12. last — final
  13. stand — to bear
  14. land — a country
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. lean — to bend
  18. season — of the year
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. drill — the tool
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. net — for catching

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