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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  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. ruler — for measuring
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. chest — of your body
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. capital — money
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — of ice
  14. root — of a plant
  15. capital — a city
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. cap — a lid
  21. chest — a box
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. root — of a word
  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