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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. root — of a plant
  3. root — of a word
  4. land — ground
  5. squash — the sport
  6. capital — a city
  7. march — the month
  8. land — to come down
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. squash — to crush
  11. land — a country
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. root — the cause
  14. dip — to sink
  15. march — music
  16. cell — in biology
  17. rush — hurry
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — money
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. cell — a phone
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. march — the month

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