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: net · nail · mark · degree · bear · ground · mine · bat

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bat — the animal
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — for digging
  6. ground — a position
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. net — after costs
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. degree — from a university
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bear — the animal
  13. net — in sport
  14. degree — an amount
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. net — for catching
  19. ground — the earth
  20. mark — a trace
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. ground — crushed
  24. mine — belonging to me

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