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 116 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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. ground — the earth
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. race — humankind
  7. ground — a position
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. capital — money
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. content — the amount
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to point toward
  15. capital — a city
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. mine — for digging
  19. race — a contest
  20. face — to confront
  21. content — happy
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. race — the arms race

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