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

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cue — a signal
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. root — the cause
  5. cue — a hint
  6. kid — child
  7. drill — army training
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. drill — a practice
  11. root — of a word
  12. kid — to tease
  13. cue — for pool
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. season — of the year
  16. drill — the tool
  17. root — of a plant
  18. season — in sport

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