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

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. root — of a word
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. chest — of your body
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. root — the cause
  7. chest — of your body
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. march — music
  11. shower — rain
  12. march — the month
  13. cue — for pool
  14. march — the month
  15. shower — to wash
  16. chest — a box
  17. cue — a hint
  18. root — of a plant

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