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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. craft — a skill
  4. root — of a word
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — not warm
  7. root — the cause
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. craft — boats
  15. bulb — for light
  16. key — in music
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — for a lock
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. root — of a plant
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. pitcher — a jug

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