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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. rest — what's left
  3. last — final
  4. root — of a word
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. land — ground
  7. season — of the year
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a line of people
  11. rest — a break
  12. last — finally
  13. bear — the animal
  14. land — to come down
  15. rest — what's left
  16. file — a tool
  17. pop — music
  18. root — the cause
  19. last — to go on
  20. root — of a plant
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — soda
  23. land — a country
  24. bear — the animal

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