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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. snap — to click
  3. bear — the animal
  4. staff — a stick
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. can — to be able to
  7. root — of a word
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. can — a tin
  10. wind — moving air
  11. capital — a city
  12. root — the cause
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. root — of a plant
  17. can — a tin
  18. bear — the animal
  19. staff — employees
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — in sport
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. staff — employees

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