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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. squash — the sport
  3. mug — a cup
  4. march — the month
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — army training
  7. root — of a word
  8. ground — the earth
  9. mug — a face
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. root — of a plant
  12. saw — the tool
  13. game — a match
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. root — the cause
  17. game — wild animals
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mug — to rob
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. squash — to crush
  22. drill — a practice
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — crushed

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