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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. land — to come down
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. land — ground
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. field — farmland
  8. land — a country
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. mine — for digging
  16. field — a subject
  17. pound — a weight
  18. field — for sport
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — the earth
  24. safe — a strongbox

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