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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. kick — in football
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. drill — army training
  6. last — finally
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. ground — crushed
  12. drill — a practice
  13. last — final
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — a position
  23. pitch — completely
  24. kick — with a leg

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