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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. lean — to bend
  3. ground — a position
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bass — low music
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. root — the cause
  12. ground — the earth
  13. root — of a plant
  14. lean — thin
  15. root — of a word
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pound — a weight

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