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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. sharp — clever
  5. rest — a break
  6. net — after costs
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. root — of a plant
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. root — of a word
  13. net — in sport
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. net — for catching
  16. capital — money
  17. bank — of a river
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. capital — a city
  20. bank — for money
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rest — what's left
  23. root — the cause
  24. wake — a trail

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