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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. charge — electricity
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bound — obliged
  7. ground — crushed
  8. charge — a price
  9. rule — a law
  10. charge — in control
  11. bear — the animal
  12. rule — government
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. mine — for digging
  16. ground — the earth
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — the cause
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. ground — a position
  22. bound — certain
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bound — tied together

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