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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bear — the animal
  4. perch — the fish
  5. object — a thing
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. ground — a position
  8. last — finally
  9. object — to protest
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. object — an aim
  12. degree — from a university
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. ground — the earth
  15. degree — an amount
  16. squash — to crush
  17. degree — temperature
  18. last — to go on
  19. season — in sport
  20. bear — the animal
  21. squash — the sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. last — final

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