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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. root — of a word
  3. suit — in cards
  4. root — the cause
  5. suit — to fit
  6. lean — to bend
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — not warm
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a great time
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. date — the fruit
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. lean — thin
  20. root — of a plant
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. saw — the tool
  23. suit — clothes
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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