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 120 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: scale · game · kid · mate · fine · foot · bear · ground

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. kid — to tease
  8. fine — all right
  9. game — a match
  10. game — wild animals
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. mate — a friend
  13. ground — the earth
  14. mate — a partner
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. foot — a measure
  17. fine — high quality
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. mate — to breed
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — child
  22. scale — size or range
  23. ground — a position
  24. bear — the animal

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