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: foot · dip · season · face · pitch · last · deal · shower

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — finally
  3. foot — a measure
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. face — to point toward
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. shower — rain
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. season — of the year
  12. face — part of the head
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. dip — to sink
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — in sport
  18. last — final
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. shower — to wash
  21. deal — to handle
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. face — to confront
  24. pitch — completely

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