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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: nail · pitch · fine · mark · land · stock · snap · plane

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mark — a trace
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. land — ground
  7. fine — all right
  8. plane — a tool
  9. stock — shares
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — completely
  14. land — to come down
  15. stock — goods
  16. land — a country
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. fine — high quality
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. mark — a grade
  24. nail — on a finger

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