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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. ground — the earth
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ground — a position
  6. fine — all right
  7. face — to point toward
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pop — soda
  13. face — part of the head
  14. pit — a hole
  15. face — to confront
  16. fine — high quality
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pit — in a race
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pop — music
  21. ground — crushed
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. tear — from crying

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