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 black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. root — of a plant
  3. wake — a trail
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. march — the month
  6. game — a match
  7. root — the cause
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cold — not warm
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cold — an illness
  15. march — the month
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. march — music
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. root — of a word
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — wild animals
  24. wake — before a funeral

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