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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. foot — a measure
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. tear — to rip
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. can — a tin
  19. ground — the earth
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. tear — from crying
  23. ground — a position
  24. tear — from crying

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