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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. charge — a price
  3. sharp — clever
  4. land — to come down
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. land — a country
  7. root — the cause
  8. last — final
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bear — the animal
  11. net — for catching
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bear — the animal
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. net — in sport
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — electricity
  18. root — of a word
  19. land — ground
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. root — of a plant
  22. last — finally
  23. net — after costs
  24. sharp — exactly

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