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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. content — happy
  4. present — a gift
  5. tear — to rip
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. ground — crushed
  8. charge — electricity
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. stem — to come from
  12. present — there
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. sharp — clever
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — in control
  19. tear — from crying
  20. present — the time now
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. content — the amount
  24. bark — to shout

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