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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — an illness
  4. root — the cause
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pitch — completely
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — in a road
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. roll — a cake
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. spring — of water
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. root — of a word
  18. roll — a list
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. root — of a plant
  22. spring — the season
  23. pit — a hole
  24. spring — a coil

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