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 · pit · hide · club · land · jam · lie · shower

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. land — a country
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. march — music
  7. shower — rain
  8. club — for dancing
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — a group
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. march — the month
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. march — the month
  16. pit — in a race
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. land — ground
  19. shower — to wash
  20. lie — to recline
  21. pit — a hole
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. land — to come down
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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