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 120 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: bear · chest · squash · pass · land · lie · pit · plane

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. land — to come down
  3. chest — of your body
  4. land — ground
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bear — the animal
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. pit — a hole
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. plane — a tool
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. squash — the sport
  15. lie — to recline
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. land — a country
  21. pass — a permit
  22. chest — a box
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. lie — an untruth

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