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're on a ________________ here.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. capital — a city
  4. ground — crushed
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wound — an injury
  10. ground — a position
  11. mine — for digging
  12. capital — money
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. roll — a list
  19. sharp — clever
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. roll — a cake
  24. wound — an injury

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