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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. root — of a word
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. game — a match
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. game — wild animals
  8. spring — the season
  9. march — music
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. march — the month
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. wake — a trail
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. craft — a skill
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bark — to shout
  23. root — the cause
  24. march — the month

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