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: ground · dip · chest · current · cabinet · mine · hide · spell

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. current — happening now
  3. chest — of your body
  4. spell — letters
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mine — for digging
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. ground — the earth
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. current — of water
  13. spell — a short time
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. ground — a position
  16. chest — of your body
  17. current — electric
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. ground — crushed
  21. chest — a box
  22. spell — magic
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. dip — to sink

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