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: chip · wound · toast · ball · ground · season · last · shower

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. ball — a great time
  4. season — in sport
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. season — of the year
  8. ground — a position
  9. wound — an injury
  10. shower — to wash
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. chip — for betting
  14. toast — bread
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. chip — to eat
  18. last — finally
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. shower — rain
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. ground — the earth
  23. wound — an injury
  24. ground — crushed

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