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: wound · charge · spell · ground · race · hand · cell · pound

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — a position
  4. wound — an injury
  5. charge — electricity
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. race — a contest
  8. pound — a weight
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. wound — an injury
  12. cell — in biology
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. charge — a price
  16. spell — letters
  17. charge — in control
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. race — the arms race
  20. cell — a phone
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. hand — in cards
  23. race — humankind
  24. hand — help

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