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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. can — a tin
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. can — a tin
  5. chest — of your body
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. court — of a king
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. ground — a position
  11. fall — to drop
  12. ground — crushed
  13. court — of law
  14. fall — the season
  15. bat — the animal
  16. chest — of your body
  17. can — to be able to
  18. chest — a box
  19. court — for sport
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bat — in an idiom

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