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 · fork · last · game · plane · march · cue · rash

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. game — wild animals
  3. rash — hasty
  4. march — music
  5. plane — a tool
  6. fork — in a road
  7. cue — a hint
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. last — finally
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. last — final
  14. last — to go on
  15. march — the month
  16. cue — a signal
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. rash — a series
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. march — the month
  21. game — a match
  22. land — a country
  23. cue — for pool
  24. game — a kind of play

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