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 120 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. lean — to bend
  5. face — part of the head
  6. kid — to tease
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. current — of water
  9. root — the cause
  10. game — a match
  11. kid — child
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. root — of a word
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bear — the animal
  16. current — electric
  17. face — to point toward
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. current — happening now
  20. cold — not warm
  21. root — of a plant
  22. lean — thin
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. face — to confront

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