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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. root — the cause
  3. shower — rain
  4. bore — to tire
  5. content — the amount
  6. shower — to wash
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bore — to drill
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. tear — to rip
  14. root — of a word
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. pitch — completely
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. tear — from crying
  19. root — of a plant
  20. stem — to come from
  21. tear — from crying
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bore — gave birth

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