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: drill · rash · game · trunk · season · content · net · last

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. drill — a practice
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — a series
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. game — a match
  8. net — in sport
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. net — for catching
  11. drill — army training
  12. last — final
  13. last — to go on
  14. game — wild animals
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. content — happy
  18. drill — the tool
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. last — finally
  22. season — of the year
  23. content — the amount
  24. net — after costs

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