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 120 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: ruler · last · land · pop · mate · deal · row · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. land — ground
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — after costs
  5. land — a country
  6. last — to go on
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. land — to come down
  10. mate — a friend
  11. deal — to handle
  12. mate — a partner
  13. last — final
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — music
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. last — finally
  18. mate — to breed
  19. row — a line
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. row — to paddle
  22. pop — to visit
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. row — a quarrel

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