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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. toast — bread
  3. board — to get on
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. spring — the season
  6. last — final
  7. land — to come down
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. land — a country
  11. spring — a coil
  12. plane — a tool
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. last — finally
  15. land — ground
  16. scale — size or range
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. board — a committee
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. scale — in music
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. spring — of water

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