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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. root — the cause
  5. capital — a city
  6. rock — music
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. field — farmland
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. root — of a word
  16. capital — money
  17. root — of a plant
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. field — a subject
  20. foot — a measure
  21. mine — for digging
  22. rock — a stone
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. field — for sport

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