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: ground · spell · cap · content · last · mouse · sharp · cold

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. sharp — clever
  3. last — to go on
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. ground — a position
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. last — final
  8. cap — a lid
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — a short time
  13. last — finally
  14. ground — crushed
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. spell — magic
  17. cap — of ice
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cold — an illness
  20. content — happy
  21. content — the amount
  22. cold — not warm
  23. ground — the earth
  24. cap — a hat

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