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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. bat — the animal
  5. scale — in music
  6. root — of a word
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. court — of a king
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. saw — the tool
  11. court — of law
  12. court — for sport
  13. root — the cause
  14. mark — a trace
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mark — a grade
  22. root — of a plant
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. scale — for weighing

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