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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — the season
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mine — for digging
  6. firm — decided
  7. ground — a position
  8. file — a document
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. ground — crushed
  11. capital — money
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. file — a line of people
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. ground — the earth
  17. file — a tool
  18. firm — a company
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. spring — a coil
  23. firm — steady
  24. capital — a city

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