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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. rest — what's left
  3. net — for catching
  4. mate — a partner
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — the earth
  7. face — part of the head
  8. mate — a friend
  9. face — to point toward
  10. wound — an injury
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. last — finally
  16. mate — to breed
  17. net — after costs
  18. face — to confront
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. last — final
  22. net — in sport
  23. last — to go on
  24. wound — an injury

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