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: land · chair · present · shower · rest · pitch · last · rock

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. rest — a break
  3. last — to go on
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pitch — completely
  7. present — there
  8. shower — rain
  9. last — final
  10. shower — to wash
  11. land — a country
  12. rock — music
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. rock — a stone
  16. land — ground
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. present — the time now
  19. last — finally
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. present — a gift
  24. land — to come down

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