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 · last · net · arm · pitcher · current · stem · bound

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  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. land — to come down
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — in sport
  4. current — electric
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. land — a country
  9. bound — tied together
  10. current — of water
  11. land — ground
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. current — happening now
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. last — to go on
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. last — finally
  19. bound — obliged
  20. last — final
  21. bound — certain
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stem — to come from
  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