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: pitch · mark · mate · deal · last · land · row · wax

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. last — finally
  4. pitch — completely
  5. deal — to handle
  6. land — to come down
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a trace
  10. land — ground
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. mate — a partner
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mate — to breed
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. mark — a grade
  18. last — final
  19. last — to go on
  20. mate — a friend
  21. land — a country
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — to grow
  24. row — a line

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