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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. pound — a weight
  5. court — for sport
  6. ground — the earth
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. ground — crushed
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. season — of the year
  14. court — of a king
  15. foot — a measure
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. race — a contest
  19. deal — to handle
  20. season — in sport
  21. race — the arms race
  22. court — of law
  23. ground — a position
  24. race — humankind

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