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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  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 — crushed
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. staff — a stick
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. land — to come down
  6. staff — employees
  7. land — ground
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — a partner
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. club — a group
  13. club — for dancing
  14. ground — the earth
  15. staff — employees
  16. chair — a leader
  17. lie — to recline
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. ground — a position
  20. wound — an injury
  21. land — a country
  22. club — for golf
  23. lie — an untruth
  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