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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. last — finally
  3. rock — music
  4. lie — to recline
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. root — the cause
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — a weight
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — in sport
  13. file — a tool
  14. last — to go on
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a document
  18. last — final
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. root — of a plant
  21. rock — a stone
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. season — of the year
  24. root — of a word

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