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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. ground — a position
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. spell — a short time
  5. land — ground
  6. spell — magic
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. ground — crushed
  9. can — a tin
  10. spell — letters
  11. can — a tin
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. ground — the earth
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. squash — to crush
  21. can — to be able to
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — a country
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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