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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. foot — a measure
  4. present — there
  5. root — of a word
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. file — a tool
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. march — the month
  11. kid — child
  12. root — of a plant
  13. present — a gift
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. file — a line of people
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. march — the month
  19. file — a document
  20. present — the time now
  21. kid — to tease
  22. mine — for digging
  23. root — the cause
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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