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 120 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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. craft — boats
  3. ground — the earth
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. can — to be able to
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. drill — a practice
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. craft — a skill
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — a position
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — child
  18. drill — the tool

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