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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. wind — moving air
  4. root — of a word
  5. roll — a list
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. root — the cause
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. lie — to recline
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. hand — in cards
  15. wind — moving air
  16. hand — help
  17. ball — a great time
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. ball — a dance
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. root — of a plant
  23. roll — a cake
  24. hand — part of the body

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