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: mine · last · ground · board · pop · bat · temple · track

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. track — a path
  3. last — to go on
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. last — final
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. pop — soda
  14. track — to keep track
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — to get on
  18. mine — for digging
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pop — to visit
  22. track — a song
  23. last — finally
  24. ground — a position

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