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 · rash · sharp · mine · present · season · bat · ground

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. present — the time now
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. chip — to eat
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. season — of the year
  9. bat — the animal
  10. mine — for digging
  11. rash — a series
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. present — there
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. ground — a position
  22. chip — for betting
  23. ground — the earth
  24. present — a gift

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