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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. ground — a position
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. tear — to rip
  6. craft — a skill
  7. ground — the earth
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. spell — magic
  15. tear — from crying
  16. craft — boats
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. tear — from crying
  19. ground — crushed
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. spell — a short time

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