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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. wind — moving air
  3. file — a tool
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. bat — the animal
  7. dip — to sink
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. file — a document
  10. bass — the fish
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. root — of a word
  16. bass — low music
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. root — of a plant
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. file — a line of people
  22. wind — moving air
  23. root — the cause
  24. bat — in an idiom

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