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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. degree — from a university
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. pit — a hole
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — the cause
  9. shower — to wash
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. root — of a word
  12. shower — rain
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pit — in a race
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — an amount
  17. season — in sport
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. chip — for betting
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. rash — a series
  24. chip — to eat

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