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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cap — of ice
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. perch — the fish
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. cap — a hat
  11. root — of a word
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rash — a series
  15. cap — a lid
  16. rash — hasty
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. root — of a plant
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. root — the cause
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — a phone

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