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 116 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 covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. clip — for paper
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bat — the animal
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. stem — to come from
  8. clip — to cut
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. root — the cause
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. clip — a video
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. board — to get on
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. root — of a plant
  17. board — a committee
  18. ground — a position
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. root — of a word
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pass — a permit
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. pass — to spend time

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