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 124 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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. ground — a position
  5. bat — the animal
  6. field — a subject
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. cell — in biology
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. cell — a phone
  19. stand — to bear
  20. can — to be able to
  21. ground — crushed
  22. can — a tin
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. can — a tin

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