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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. shower — rain
  3. perch — the fish
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — crushed
  10. wind — moving air
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. current — electric
  13. saw — the tool
  14. current — happening now
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mate — to breed
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. current — of water
  20. shower — to wash
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — for digging
  24. wind — to turn a key

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