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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — to tease
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bore — to drill
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. root — the cause
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. root — of a plant
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. snap — to click
  13. chair — a leader
  14. root — of a word
  15. foot — a measure
  16. kid — child
  17. stock — shares
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to tire
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. stock — goods
  24. cell — in biology

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