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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. content — the amount
  4. mine — for digging
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. craft — a skill
  8. craft — boats
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. ground — the earth
  12. net — for catching
  13. chair — a leader
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. ground — a position
  16. content — happy
  17. net — in sport
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. net — after costs
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. kid — to tease

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