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 · pop · wound · bay · foot · bowl · snap · land

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. foot — a measure
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. land — to come down
  7. ground — the earth
  8. pop — music
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. ground — a position
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. land — ground
  14. land — a country
  15. wound — an injury
  16. snap — to click
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pop — soda

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