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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — the earth
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. land — a country
  13. drill — army training
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. dip — to sink
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — the tool
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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