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 116 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — a tin
  5. root — of a word
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bear — the animal
  8. root — of a plant
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. spell — a short time
  14. can — to be able to
  15. root — the cause
  16. row — a line
  17. spell — letters
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. row — to paddle
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bear — the animal
  24. spell — magic

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