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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. net — in sport
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. net — after costs
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. mate — a friend
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. mate — a partner
  12. season — of the year
  13. band — a music group
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. root — the cause
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. root — of a plant
  20. band — a ring
  21. mate — to breed
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. season — in sport
  24. net — for catching

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