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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. game — a match
  4. root — the cause
  5. game — wild animals
  6. present — a gift
  7. court — of law
  8. present — there
  9. root — of a plant
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. court — for sport
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — thin
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. date — the fruit
  18. spell — a short time
  19. court — of a king
  20. present — the time now
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — letters
  24. root — of a word

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