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: march · land · can · last · fork · stem · press · snap

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. can — a tin
  3. march — music
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. land — a country
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. can — to be able to
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. march — the month
  10. press — to push
  11. press — newspapers
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to click
  14. last — finally
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. can — a tin
  18. land — to come down
  19. march — the month
  20. fork — in a road
  21. last — final
  22. stem — to come from
  23. press — a publisher
  24. last — to go on

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