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 120 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: wound · season · tear · bat · ground · safe · cabinet · content

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. tear — from crying
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — happy
  7. content — the amount
  8. season — of the year
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. ground — a position
  13. wound — an injury
  14. ground — crushed
  15. tear — from crying
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. tear — to rip
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. season — in sport
  23. bat — the animal
  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