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 120 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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. root — of a plant
  3. squash — to crush
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — not warm
  8. pop — music
  9. root — the cause
  10. game — wild animals
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. game — a match
  14. pop — to visit
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. root — of a word
  18. squash — the sport
  19. hand — help
  20. stem — to come from
  21. tube — a container
  22. pop — soda
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. squash — the vegetable

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