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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. root — of a word
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. land — to come down
  5. root — of a plant
  6. firm — decided
  7. land — ground
  8. drill — a practice
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. saw — the tool
  11. drill — the tool
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. firm — a company
  14. root — the cause
  15. drill — army training
  16. saw — the tool
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. firm — steady
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. land — a country
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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