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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — to paddle
  3. root — the cause
  4. fork — in a road
  5. shower — to wash
  6. ball — a great time
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. shower — rain
  9. ball — a dance
  10. face — to point toward
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. roll — a list
  14. chest — of your body
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. roll — a cake
  18. face — to confront
  19. root — of a plant
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. chest — a box
  22. root — of a word
  23. chest — of your body
  24. face — part of the head

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