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

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. last — finally
  4. ground — the earth
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. last — final
  7. bark — to shout
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — music
  12. last — to go on
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. ground — a position
  15. wake — a trail
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. cold — not warm
  24. rock — to move gently

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