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 · face · bay · drill · last · stand · sharp · season

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. drill — army training
  3. face — to point toward
  4. sharp — clever
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. land — a country
  7. drill — the tool
  8. stand — to bear
  9. face — to confront
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. last — to go on
  12. drill — a practice
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. land — to come down
  19. face — part of the head
  20. land — ground
  21. last — finally
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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