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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. pop — to visit
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pop — soda
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. ground — crushed
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pop — music
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pass — to spend time

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