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: land · craft · capital · rush · key · ground · content · bark

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — to shout
  5. land — a country
  6. content — happy
  7. rush — hurry
  8. key — the most important part
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. craft — a skill
  13. key — for a lock
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. ground — a position
  18. land — ground
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. land — to come down
  22. craft — boats
  23. capital — a city
  24. content — the amount

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