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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. ground — crushed
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. craft — a skill
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. track — to keep track
  10. row — a line
  11. wound — an injury
  12. last — final
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. craft — boats
  16. ground — a position
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. track — a song
  19. last — to go on
  20. track — a path
  21. rush — hurry
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. row — to paddle
  24. last — finally

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