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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. root — of a word
  4. cold — not warm
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. tear — to rip
  9. root — the cause
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. tear — from crying
  16. cold — an illness
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. sharp — clever
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. deal — to handle
  24. mine — belonging to me

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