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: date · march · land · sharp · pitcher · roll · pop · leaves

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — ground
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pop — soda
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. pop — music
  14. roll — a list
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. date — the fruit
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. roll — a cake
  22. march — music
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. land — a country

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