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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — the underground
  3. field — a subject
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. capital — a city
  6. root — of a plant
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. root — the cause
  9. field — for sport
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. root — of a word
  13. object — a thing
  14. hand — help
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. object — to protest
  18. bark — to shout
  19. capital — money
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. hand — in cards
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. object — an aim
  24. field — farmland

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