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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. spring — a coil
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. root — of a word
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. pop — soda
  11. ball — a great time
  12. roll — a cake
  13. pop — music
  14. bark — to shout
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. root — the cause
  17. roll — a list
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. spring — the season
  21. rush — hurry
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. spring — of water
  24. root — of a plant

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