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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bound — tied together
  4. clip — for paper
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. ground — the earth
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. clip — to cut
  9. root — of a word
  10. bound — obliged
  11. root — the cause
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. root — of a plant
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. clip — a video
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. 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