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: ground · bark · drill · shower · capital · hand · sharp · safe

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. drill — army training
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. capital — a city
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. drill — the tool
  10. shower — rain
  11. ground — crushed
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. shower — to wash
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. bark — to shout
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. sharp — clever
  21. drill — a practice
  22. hand — help
  23. capital — money
  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