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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. root — the cause
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. rock — a stone
  6. season — in sport
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. file — a tool
  9. squash — the sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. file — a document
  15. bass — the fish
  16. root — of a word
  17. rock — music
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. cell — in biology
  20. root — of a plant
  21. file — a line of people
  22. cell — a phone
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. cell — in a prison

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