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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bear — the animal
  3. game — a match
  4. rest — a break
  5. chest — of your body
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a tool
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. game — wild animals
  10. root — of a plant
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. march — the month
  17. file — a line of people
  18. root — the cause
  19. bear — the animal
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. root — of a word

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