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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. present — a gift
  3. file — a tool
  4. root — of a word
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. root — of a plant
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. snap — to click
  12. key — for a lock
  13. present — the time now
  14. root — the cause
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. prune — to trim
  17. key — in music
  18. key — the most important part
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. file — a document
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. file — a line of people
  23. present — there
  24. arm — part of the body

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