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 120 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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. bound — certain
  3. degree — from a university
  4. key — for a lock
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. key — in music
  8. bound — obliged
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. ground — the earth
  11. row — a line
  12. root — of a word
  13. key — the most important part
  14. sharp — clever
  15. root — the cause
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. degree — temperature
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bark — to shout
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bound — tied together
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. ground — a position

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