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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. cold — not warm
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — the earth
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — the cause
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. chest — of your body
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. ground — a position
  13. rest — a break
  14. bass — the fish
  15. lean — to bend
  16. root — of a word
  17. rest — what's left
  18. cold — an illness
  19. chest — a box
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. lean — thin
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pass — a permit

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