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

Word bank: fine · land · ground · lean · straw · cap · jam · pit

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — all right
  3. lean — thin
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. ground — crushed
  6. land — a country
  7. ground — the earth
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. pit — in a race
  10. land — to come down
  11. ground — a position
  12. cap — a hat
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. land — ground
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a lid
  23. pit — a hole
  24. lean — to bend

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