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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. vault — a safe
  3. can — a tin
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. ground — the earth
  6. mine — for digging
  7. ground — crushed
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. hand — in cards
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. hand — help
  16. can — a tin
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. can — to be able to
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bat — the animal
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. wound — an injury

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