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 116 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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bear — the animal
  4. charge — electricity
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bear — the animal
  7. mine — for digging
  8. ground — a position
  9. race — the arms race
  10. file — a tool
  11. charge — in control
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a line of people
  17. race — humankind
  18. charge — a price
  19. cap — a hat
  20. race — a contest
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. ground — the earth
  24. cap — a lid

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