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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. ground — crushed
  3. wax — to grow
  4. firm — a company
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. wound — an injury
  7. capital — a city
  8. firm — steady
  9. ground — the earth
  10. land — a country
  11. land — ground
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. land — to come down
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. ground — a position
  17. firm — decided
  18. capital — money
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. mine — for digging

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