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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. field — for sport
  7. kick — in football
  8. squash — the sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. squash — to crush
  11. suit — in cards
  12. suit — clothes
  13. cold — not warm
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bat — the animal
  17. root — of a word
  18. field — a subject
  19. suit — to fit
  20. lie — to recline
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. cold — an illness
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. root — the cause

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