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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. can — a tin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. spring — the season
  9. bound — tied together
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. last — finally
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — certain
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. spring — of water
  16. ground — the earth
  17. can — to be able to
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. can — a tin
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. spring — a coil
  22. last — final
  23. ground — a position
  24. pitcher — a jug

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