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: last · roll · chest · pit · land · pound · dip · club

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. pit — in a race
  5. roll — a list
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. club — for dancing
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. roll — a cake
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. land — ground
  16. club — a group
  17. chest — a box
  18. last — finally
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — a country
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. pit — a hole
  23. club — for golf
  24. dip — to sink

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