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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. mate — a partner
  3. rush — hurry
  4. root — the cause
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rock — a stone
  8. field — a subject
  9. root — of a word
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. tube — the underground
  12. mate — to breed
  13. root — of a plant
  14. tube — a container
  15. capital — money
  16. field — for sport
  17. land — ground
  18. field — farmland
  19. rock — music
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — a city
  23. land — a country
  24. mate — a friend

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