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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. clip — for paper
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. root — of a plant
  6. clip — a video
  7. last — final
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. root — the cause
  11. clip — to cut
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bass — the fish
  15. root — of a word
  16. stem — to come from
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. last — finally
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. present — a gift
  21. present — there
  22. last — to go on
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bowl — a football final

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