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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. capital — a city
  3. root — of a plant
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. tube — the underground
  6. root — the cause
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. tear — to rip
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. ball — a dance
  12. charge — electricity
  13. ball — a great time
  14. capital — money
  15. tear — from crying
  16. charge — in control
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. tear — from crying
  19. root — of a word
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. charge — a price
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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