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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. ground — the earth
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. ground — a position
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. content — happy
  13. ground — crushed
  14. march — music
  15. land — a country
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. dip — to sink
  23. land — ground
  24. content — the amount

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