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 116 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: rock · drill · fan · cell · face · ball · mine · ground

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a great time
  4. rock — music
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. cell — a phone
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. ground — a position
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rock — a stone
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — part of the head
  15. cell — in biology
  16. mine — for digging
  17. drill — a practice
  18. face — to point toward
  19. drill — the tool
  20. ground — crushed
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. drill — army training
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. ground — the earth

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