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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. ground — the earth
  3. chair — a leader
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. degree — from a university
  6. drill — the tool
  7. fine — all right
  8. ground — crushed
  9. degree — an amount
  10. stand — to bear
  11. ground — a position
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. degree — temperature
  18. drill — a practice
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. mine — for digging
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. fine — high quality

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