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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. root — the cause
  6. cap — a lid
  7. mine — for digging
  8. root — of a word
  9. rash — hasty
  10. stock — goods
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. cap — of ice
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. stock — shares
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. cap — a hat
  18. root — of a plant
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. season — in sport
  21. bark — to shout
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. rash — a series
  24. season — of the year

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