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 120 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ball — a great time
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. ground — the earth
  7. face — to confront
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. kid — child
  12. stem — to come from
  13. march — music
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to point toward
  18. shower — rain
  19. kid — to tease
  20. shower — to wash
  21. ball — a dance
  22. stand — to bear
  23. ground — a position
  24. stand — on your feet

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