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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. mug — a cup
  4. vault — a safe
  5. pitch — completely
  6. root — the cause
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. mug — a face
  9. land — a country
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. root — of a plant
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. season — of the year
  17. root — of a word
  18. row — a line
  19. land — ground
  20. capital — money
  21. season — in sport
  22. row — to paddle
  23. mug — to rob
  24. capital — a city

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