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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. scale — size or range
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. scale — in music
  6. roll — a cake
  7. root — of a plant
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. season — of the year
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. last — finally
  13. root — of a word
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. dip — to sink
  16. root — the cause
  17. last — to go on
  18. season — in sport
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. roll — a list
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. last — final

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