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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — part of the head
  6. race — the arms race
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pit — in a race
  9. root — of a word
  10. race — a contest
  11. cold — an illness
  12. race — humankind
  13. pit — a hole
  14. root — of a plant
  15. perch — the fish
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. root — the cause
  19. prune — to trim
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. face — to point toward
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. cold — not warm

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