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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. band — a music group
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. pit — in a race
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — to come from
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bore — to tire
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. band — a ring
  18. chest — of your body
  19. ground — the earth
  20. rush — hurry
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. chest — a box
  23. bore — to drill
  24. ground — a position

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