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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. spring — the season
  4. ground — the earth
  5. stock — goods
  6. ball — a great time
  7. game — a match
  8. spring — a coil
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. game — wild animals
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — shares
  14. ground — a position
  15. ball — a dance
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. object — to protest
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. ground — crushed
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — an aim
  24. spring — of water

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