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: wound · firm · pass · key · cell · date · land · pitch

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. key — the most important part
  3. firm — a company
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — the fruit
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. firm — decided
  8. land — a country
  9. firm — steady
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. land — to come down
  12. cell — in biology
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — completely
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. cell — a phone
  19. wound — an injury
  20. key — in music
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. land — ground
  23. key — for a lock
  24. pass — to spend time

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