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: dip · land · fine · row · staff · pitcher · last · mine

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. last — finally
  5. last — final
  6. row — a line
  7. fine — high quality
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. row — to paddle
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. last — to go on
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — ground
  14. staff — a stick
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. mine — for digging
  21. dip — to sink
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. land — a country
  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