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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. craft — a skill
  3. hand — in cards
  4. shower — to wash
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. root — of a plant
  7. press — newspapers
  8. craft — boats
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. field — farmland
  11. root — the cause
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. field — a subject
  14. hand — help
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. press — to push
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. press — a publisher
  22. shower — rain
  23. root — of a word
  24. ruler — for measuring

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