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 116 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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. spring — the season
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. sharp — clever
  5. shower — to wash
  6. root — the cause
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — of water
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — a safe
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. ground — a position
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. ground — crushed
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. shower — rain
  21. root — of a plant
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. root — of a word
  24. bat — the animal

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