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: leaves · kid · mine · ground · mouse · season · kick · foot

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mine — for digging
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. ground — crushed
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. foot — a measure
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kick — in football
  10. ground — the earth
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. kid — child
  14. season — of the year
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. season — in sport
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. foot — part of the body

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