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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. object — an aim
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — completely
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. tear — to rip
  8. field — for sport
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. object — to protest
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. ground — a position
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. field — farmland
  18. spell — magic
  19. object — a thing
  20. spell — a short time
  21. field — a subject
  22. ground — the earth
  23. mine — for digging
  24. ground — crushed

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