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 · deal · pitch · straw · net · fork · march · sharp

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — ground
  3. deal — to handle
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. fork — in a road
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. march — music
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — for catching
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. march — the month
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. land — to come down
  21. sharp — clever
  22. net — in sport
  23. march — the month
  24. pitch — completely

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