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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. ground — the earth
  3. last — finally
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mark — a grade
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. content — the amount
  10. last — final
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. ground — crushed
  17. mark — a trace
  18. season — of the year
  19. last — to go on
  20. season — in sport
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. ground — a position
  23. mine — for digging
  24. leaves — of a tree

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