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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. hand — in cards
  3. field — a subject
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. root — of a word
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a great time
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. root — of a plant
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. root — the cause
  15. field — for sport
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cold — not warm
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. field — farmland
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. hand — help
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — for sculpting

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