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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: present · field · rule · dip · ground · mine · race · spell

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. ground — crushed
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. ground — the earth
  5. dip — to sink
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — a short time
  8. field — farmland
  9. present — a gift
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. present — the time now
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. present — there
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — humankind
  18. rule — a law
  19. spell — letters
  20. rule — government
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. ground — a position

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