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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mark — a grade
  4. cold — an illness
  5. fork — in a road
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. ground — crushed
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. mark — a trace
  12. net — after costs
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ground — a position
  16. staff — a stick
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. cold — not warm
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. net — for catching
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. net — in sport
  24. fork — to eat with

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