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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — a position
  3. root — the cause
  4. current — electric
  5. root — of a word
  6. current — happening now
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. root — of a plant
  12. net — for catching
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. season — in sport
  15. chair — a leader
  16. current — of water
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. net — in sport
  19. ground — the earth
  20. kid — to tease
  21. season — of the year
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. net — after costs
  24. calf — a young animal

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