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 116 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bank — for money
  3. game — wild animals
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. tear — to rip
  6. pitch — completely
  7. rash — hasty
  8. root — of a plant
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bank — for money
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. root — the cause
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. tear — from crying
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. game — a match
  19. root — of a word
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rash — a series
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bank — of a river
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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