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 116 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. root — of a word
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. hand — in cards
  5. perch — the fish
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. root — the cause
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. sharp — clever
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. rest — what's left

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