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: field · season · land · can · ground · sharp · bore · content

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. land — a country
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. sharp — clever
  5. land — to come down
  6. ground — a position
  7. content — happy
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bore — to drill
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — for sport
  13. ground — the earth
  14. content — the amount
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. land — ground
  20. can — a tin
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bore — to tire
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. season — of the year

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