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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. sharp — clever
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. pass — a permit
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. kid — child
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. wind — moving air
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. mine — for digging
  17. kid — to tease
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. wind — moving air
  21. ground — crushed
  22. wake — a trail
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. ground — the earth

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