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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — soda
  4. stock — goods
  5. drill — a practice
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — shares
  8. root — of a plant
  9. mate — a friend
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. land — a country
  13. pass — a permit
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. drill — the tool
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. mate — to breed
  18. root — the cause
  19. kick — in football
  20. pop — to visit
  21. land — ground
  22. drill — army training
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. land — to come down

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