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 · pitch · mark · fall · content · nail · trunk · shower

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. fall — to drop
  3. shower — rain
  4. fall — the season
  5. mark — a grade
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. fall — to drop
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — happy
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. land — a country
  14. content — the amount
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mark — a trace
  18. shower — to wash
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. land — ground
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. land — to come down
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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