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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. file — a document
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. cold — an illness
  5. hand — help
  6. file — a line of people
  7. root — of a word
  8. root — the cause
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. file — a tool
  11. hand — in cards
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pass — a permit
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. rest — what's left
  18. cold — not warm
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. rest — a break
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pass — to spend time

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