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: drill · stem · toast · last · tear · ground · game · wake

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. last — to go on
  6. drill — army training
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. last — final
  9. tear — to rip
  10. ground — crushed
  11. toast — bread
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. ground — the earth
  14. drill — the tool
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — a trail
  18. drill — a practice
  19. stem — to come from
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stem — a stem cell
  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