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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. row — a line
  3. court — for sport
  4. file — a document
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. mate — to breed
  7. file — a line of people
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. root — of a word
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. mate — a friend
  16. court — of a king
  17. mate — a partner
  18. file — a tool
  19. root — of a plant
  20. row — to paddle
  21. court — of law
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. root — the cause

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