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: mine · drill · rest · fan · capital · last · pitch · fine

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — completely
  6. rest — a break
  7. last — final
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. mine — for digging
  13. rest — what's left
  14. drill — army training
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. rest — what's left
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fine — high quality
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. capital — a city
  24. fine — all right

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