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: chest · ground · season · mine · charge · suit · pound · straw

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. chest — a box
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. suit — clothes
  9. charge — electricity
  10. mine — for digging
  11. suit — to fit
  12. pound — a weight
  13. chest — of your body
  14. season — in sport
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. charge — in control
  19. suit — in cards
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. chest — of your body
  22. charge — a price
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — to hit hard

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