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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. ground — the earth
  3. last — final
  4. ground — a position
  5. root — the cause
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bound — tied together
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bound — obliged
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. ground — crushed
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. root — of a plant
  18. last — to go on
  19. root — of a word
  20. last — finally
  21. bound — certain
  22. squash — to crush
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. bay — a horse colour

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