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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. row — a line
  4. drill — a practice
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. season — of the year
  7. ground — crushed
  8. drill — army training
  9. lean — to bend
  10. ground — a position
  11. root — of a word
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. season — in sport
  14. root — the cause
  15. row — to paddle
  16. band — a ring
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. ground — the earth
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. band — a music group
  22. root — of a plant
  23. drill — the tool
  24. leaves — lets stay

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