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: net · deal · charge · ground · tear · fine · mine · lean

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. charge — electricity
  3. lean — to bend
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. net — after costs
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. charge — a price
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. tear — from crying
  12. lean — thin
  13. mine — for digging
  14. tear — to rip
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. ground — crushed
  17. net — for catching
  18. deal — to handle
  19. net — in sport
  20. fine — high quality
  21. ground — the earth
  22. charge — in control
  23. fine — all right
  24. ground — a position

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