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: season · plane · can · charge · march · squash · land · net

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. charge — a price
  3. land — a country
  4. can — a tin
  5. squash — the sport
  6. plane — a tool
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. charge — in control
  10. land — ground
  11. season — of the year
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. charge — electricity
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. net — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. land — to come down
  21. squash — to crush
  22. season — in sport
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. can — a tin

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