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 · mark · chip · season · last · bound · wind · prune

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. ground — crushed
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bound — tied together
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. ground — the earth
  9. last — final
  10. mark — a trace
  11. ground — a position
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. chip — to eat
  14. season — in sport
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — obliged
  18. last — to go on
  19. chip — for betting
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mark — a grade
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. season — of the year
  24. wind — to turn a key

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